Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Over The River

Christo to headline Salida symposium (excerpt)

source: Copyright © 2007 The Pueblo Chieftain

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

SALIDA - The common silvery thread that ties the waters of the Arkansas River to art, writing, fishing and rafting will be explored May 26-27 during "A River Runs Through Us," a Colorado Art Ranch Artposium.

Internationally known artists Christo and Jeanne Claude will talk about their proposed grand-scale artwork "Over the River" when they headline the event with a 7 p.m. May 26 presentation at the Salida Steam Plant Theater, Sackett and G streets.

Bulgarian-born Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 71, propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork, if permitted, would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August in 2011 at the earliest.

The Salida Artposium will explore how rivers, the Arkansas in particular, inspire the arts, and shape the region's history, culture and environment.

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Breakout sessions will be held at Bongo Billy's Salida Cafe, 300 W. Sackett St., and will explore a rich range of river-related topics. Presentations will focus on fly-fishing, nature journal writing, poetry, river-running, landscape photography, creating art with found objects from the river and Salida’s relationship with the river.

Colorado Art Ranch, a new nonprofit residency program for artists and writers, will host the Artposium event under the direction of Grant Pound, founder and executive director.

"The idea for Colorado Art Ranch was conceived in the Wet Mountain Valley in fall 2005," Pound said. "I thought that Colorado's unique beauty would be the perfect muse for artists and writers from around the world."

The Artposium is made possible by a seed grant of $50,000 from the Jeffrey David Talley Foundation.

The Artposium event will raise money for a residency program and encourage rural economic development through the arts and heritage tourism. The residency program is slated for May 24-June 21 and will provide artists and writers with four weeks of living and studio space to work uninterrupted.

Cost to attend the May 26-27 Artposium is $249 per person or $230 per person for two or more. Registration can be completed at www.coloradoartranch.org or by calling 303-279-5198.

Artists unveil design of river curtain project

source: Copyright © 2007 The Pueblo Chieftain

Artists unveil design of river curtain project

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO / CHRIS McLEAN
Christo (right) and Jeanne-Claude sit in front of a poster of a portion of their proposed new project ‘Over the River’ during a public informational meeting last year in Canon City.

CANON CITY - Christo and Jeanne-Claude have set the wheels in motion for the proposed "Over the River" grand-scale artwork by submitting a 2,000-page design proposal to the U.S. Bureau of Land Management Monday.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 71, propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August in 2011 at the earliest, according to the artists’ Web site.

Fabric panels would be attached to about 1,000 anchored steel cables and will cover the water surface, but not the side slopes. The panels would hang from between 8 and 25 feet above the water.

"The design proposal was required of Christo and Jeanne-Claude last June, said Ken Smith, U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman. "It is about a 2,000-page document which contains information on planning and event traffic management, engineering, construction, removal and rehabilitation.

"Because of its large size and prior workload commitments, we won't be able to review it until probably this fall," Smith said.

"At that time, we will put out an Environmental Impact Statement for competitive bid so we can select a third-party contractor to conduct the environmental review. The draft Environmental Impact Statement will probably take a year, so it will be the fall of 2008 when we open up the formal public comment process and give people and opportunity to comment," Smith said.

The final Environmental Impact Statement will follow before the BLM decides whether to approve or deny the proposal. If the BLM approves the proposal, Christo and Jeanne-Claude still will need other state, federal and county permits before receiving all the green lights they need to proceed.

BLM officials hope to release Christo and Jeanne-Claude's design proposal information to the public this fall, Smith said.

Christo and Jeanne-Claude first launched their "Over the River" effort in 1992 surveying 89 possible river sites. In 1996, the Arkansas River was selected as the prime site and the artists held their initial public meetings about the proposal in Salida and Canon City in 1997.

For information about the project, log onto www.christojeanneclaude.net

Christo to visit, talk about river art plan

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

Christo to visit, talk about river art plan

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/TRACY HARMON
Several original pieces of Christo's conceptual artwork of the proposed Over the River project - this one from the Parkdale side of the Arkansas River - are on display at the Fremont Center for the Arts in Canon City.

CANON CITY - New York-based Christo and Jeanne-Claude will share their vision and sense of humor when they talk about their unusual, grand-scale works of art - including the proposed Over the River work in progress - when they visit Colorado Aug. 5.

A world-class exhibit of international artwork provides a unique view of how Christo and Jeanne-Claude's proposed Over the River creation will look.

The artists have provided 11 original Over the River-based works of art and several other pieces related to their other projects - from the wrapping of the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris, France, to The Gates of Central Park, New York - for the show, which will run through Aug. 27 at Fremont Center for the Arts, 505 Macon Ave.

As part of the exhibition, Christo and Jeanne-Claude will present a 45-minute slide show and accept questions during a 1-3 p.m. Aug. 5 event at Canon City High School, 1313 College Ave. Admission to the slide show is $15 for adults or $5 for students.

An artists' reception will kick off with a 6 p.m. happy hour Aug. 5 at the Fremont Center for the Arts, followed at 7 p.m. by an appearance by Christo and Jeanne-Claude.

"The artists will speak briefly and visit with guests. Under the canopy at the Fremont Center for the Arts, there will be a beer and wine tasting and an assortment of tasty treats from restaurants in our area," said Terri Holloway, an organizer.

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/TRACY HARMON
Fremont Center for the Arts docent Ina Finch (left) talks to a visitor about a Christo artwork.

The reception will cost $35 for arts center members or $50 for non-members. Proceeds from both events will benefit the Fremont Center for the Arts, and the artists themselves will not derive any income from the sale of the tickets, Holloway said. Art lovers also will have an opportunity to help the arts center raise funds by purchasing signed, unframed posters of previous Christo and Jeanne-Claude projects for $250 each; a limited number of Over the River prints also can be purchased for $40 each.

The art exhibition, which already has drawn visitors from California to Connecticut as well as Japan, will be open to the public 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through Aug. 27 at the Fremont Center for the Arts. Cost is $10 but free to arts center members.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 71, propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August, probably in 2010.

Fabric panels would be attached to about 1,000 steel cables and anchored before they are stretched across the river, covering the water surface, but not the side slopes. The panels would hang from between 8 and 25 feet above the water.

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management currently is overseeing an environmental impact statement to gauge the effects of the proposed artwork. The artists also will be required to get several state and federal permits before the proposal is given the green light.

Additional information about Over The River can be viewed at www.christojeanneclaude.net.

[Related News] Balancing the scales for fish in the river

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

[Related News] Balancing the scales for fish in the river

Wildlife workers try to remediate the damage to aquatic life in Arkansas River.

By CHRIS WOODKA
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

SALIDA - Good news: Christo’s proposed draperies wouldn’t hurt fish in the Arkansas River.

Bad news: People could, if they’re not careful.

Colorado Division of Wildlife biologist Greg Policky took a look at the Arkansas River from the fishes’ point of view last week at the Arkansas River Basin Water Forum.

Overall, better management of the river since World War II is starting to make up for the damage done in the century before, but more has to be done, Policky said.

One question veered off-course from the scientific to the political realm: Will Christo impact the fish?

“No, he’ll impact the fishermen more than the fish,” Policky said, referring to a proposed artwork that would drape stretches of the river with colorful fabric. The project still does not have state and local approval.

If tourists view the project from a passing car window, there would be little impact on the fish. But if they get out of the cars at a few turnouts to get a closer look, they could contribute to the ongoing erosion problem, Policky said.

More damaging are the everyday impacts people have on the river - impacts that have continued for 150 years, he said.

Today, the river above Canon City is constricted by U.S. 50 on one side and the railroad on the other, cutting off its natural meanders that used to slow its velocity.

“It cuts a deeper, faster channel through the canyon,” Policky said.

Poor land management has reduced undergrowth in the watershed, causing more erosion and sedimentation. The problem is worst during floods.

“Blowouts drop tons of sediment into the river,” he said.

Mine tailings continue to leach into the river, although they have been better controlled in the past five years, he said.

“A lot of us remember when the Arkansas River turned orange all the way to Salida in October 1985 from a blowout in the Yak Tunnel,” Policky said.

A voluntary flow program regulates the amount of water in the river, allowing fish to spawn in the fall and protecting them from rushing whirlpools of water to some extent at other times, he said.

But that same flow program can lower the elevation of Twin Lakes by feet in late summer, taking the warmest water off the top of the lakes when they are in their most productive period, at least from a fish’s point of view.

Policky traced the history of fish in the basin since man’s arrival in the mid-1800s.

Two native species were virtually wiped out because of overfishing and introduction of non-native species.

While the yellowfin cutthroat trout became extinct by the late 1800s, a population of greenback cutthroat trout is being restored above Twin Lakes. The greenback cannot compete with the brown trout on the Arkansas River mainstem, however.

Policky said the greenback recovery program has been a success.

“The goal of the recovery plan is to develop catch-and-release fisheries,” he said.

In bygone days, the federal fish hatchery at Leadville, along with numerous other hatcheries in the valley, stocked the river with non-native species. While increasing the supply of fish, past practices did little to improve habitat. Commercial fishermen harvested the river to feed the miners. Grazing went unchecked, disturbing the ground cover. Mines belched heavy metals into the streams.

After World War II, wildlife management, conservation and habitat improvement efforts began on several fronts. Limits were placed on anglers, water quality regulations were implemented and grazing restrictions were put in place. Boulders were placed in the river by the Bureau of Land Management to improve fish habitat.

While fisheries still must be stocked, a sustainable fish population is developing. The fish in the river today are more plentiful, larger and healthier than 10 years ago, he said.

“We could not make good fisheries by throwing rocks in it or sticking a regulation on it,” Policky said. “The fish population is the ultimate indicator of how well we’re doing.”

But what’s good for the fish may not always be good for people.

During the drought of 2002, when river flows were sluggish, the fish thrived.

“Normally, there’s too much water in the Arkansas River, too much velocity,” Policky said. “If you’re a fisherman, you’re still seeing the difference today.”

Doubters draw out Christo's passion for ‘Over The River’

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

Doubters draw out Christo's passion for ‘Over The River’

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/CHRIS McLEAN
Christo and Jeanne-Claude engage in a lively exchange at a meeting in Canon City Tuesday. They met Wednesday afternoon with Fremont County County commissioners.

CANON CITY - It took an informal meeting with Fremont County commissioners and a petty question to bring out the passion in artist Christo on Wednesday.

Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 70, are New York-based artists who propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August probably in 2008 or 2009.

In an informal meeting with Fremont County Commissioners Ed Norden, Larry Lasha and Chairman Mike Stiehl, a lot of details of the project came to light, but so did Christo's passion for his work.

"One thing I would like to have addressed that is a concern in all the negative mail is your pledge to pay for costs of impacts. A lot of people are saying, 'I commute and will have to deal with delays in getting to work,' ” Norden said.

Up until that question, Christo had remained mostly quiet during the informational meeting.

"That is not a serious question. If this project brings several million dollars to the community is that not enough gain? This is how a free society works," Christo said.

" ‘The Gates’ brought $256 million to New York. I actually had someone ask me at the meeting last night, 'May I receive some of your gain?' ” Christo said.

The calmer Jeanne-Claude patted her husband's arm and tried to put the situation into perspective.

"We will address some of your serious situations - if a woman is pregnant and she cannot get to the hospital to deliver her baby, then we will have our helicopter take her to the hospital. If someone says ‘I will be late at the office and lose a few dollars of income’ - we will not answer petty demands," Jeanne-Claude said. "You are very passionate," Norden said.

"If we were not passionate, we would not create beautiful international works of art for all to enjoy and join in the spirt of adventure for 14 days. We hope people will realize it will be something to be proud of to tell their grandchildren, 'I saw it,' ” Jeanne-Claude said.

The couple and their construction manager Vince Davenport and his wife, Jonita, gave the commissioners an update on work they have done so far and asked what process they needed to go through to get a temporary use permit from Fremont County.

Davenport said work on the project has already cost $3 million including the trial of three life-sized tests near Grand Junction. Jeanne-Claude said the environmental assessment being overseen by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management already has cost them $389,000 - money which goes directly to a BLM fund so no taxpayer dollars are spent analyzing the project.

Stiehl brought up his main concern, which developed out of the artists' visit to Salida for a presentation at the Steam Plant last summer.

"You said you had contacted all those involved and I don't think that is the case. I think this is a mistaken claim," Stiehl said.

The commissioners listed volunteer ambulance and rural fire agencies and even Sheriff James Beicker as some of the impacted agencies who have not been contacted by the artists for their input.

"I believe we have publicly stated whichever each will require us to do to make them feel perfectly at ease, we will fulfil. That is why we have given you all of these letters from the mayor of New York and the chief of police of New York that say Christo and Jeanne-Claude keep their promises," Jeanne-Claude said.

Jonita Davenport pointed out that a list of major players complied by the BLM may have led "to a misconception on our part. It is not our intent to disregard any player, no matter how big or how small. Deer Mountain Fire is as important to us as anyone else and it was not intended as a slight on our part."

She said the first hurdle that needs to be cleared is the environmental assessment process which should be complete in two or three months and a BLM permit could come by fall.

"This is all dependent upon the environmental assessment. There is no point in pursuing anything else without clearing that first hurdle," Jonita Davenport said.

She said traffic management is the biggest concern in the artists’ camp and a traffic management firm will be hired to help handle those issues. All the traffic concerns will be addressed through the Colorado Department of Transportation as well as Fremont County's temporary permit.

Another concern brought up was Beicker's fear of a possible terrorist event.

"We will pay for the top (anti-) terrorist organizers to come here," Jeanne-Claude said.

As for the nuts and bolts of the project, Davenport said he will need two years to put in place the anchors for the sections of fabric. He has agreed not to do any of the construction during the busy summer months.

He said about 500 to 700 feet of the project would be hung in Chaffee County; the remainder would end at the Parkdale County side. Breaks in the sections of fabric will be made for aesthetic reasons and also to avoid private property, wildlife watering areas and river ranger rescue areas.

The majority of anchors are pre-fabricated 400-pound concrete blocks that will be anchored by drilling a hole into the ground. Only about three anchors will be bolted into rock, Davenport explained.

"The Union Pacific Railroad has renewed our access permit, so 75 to 80 percent of the material will be distributed from the railroad side and 95 percent of the fabric will be distributed from the railroad side, using our own locomotive and engineers," Davenport said. "The fabric will then be pulled across to the highway side on the day of unfurling.

"I still have to use the highway during construction to put anchors in. I've agreed to close only 300-400 feet sections of one lane of the highway within 10 miles."

Jeanne-Claude wrapped up the meeting by saying "On all of our projects, there are no problems, only solutions."

A meeting is slated to run from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Senior Citizens Center, 305 F St., in Salida. Written comments on the proposal can be sent to the BLM, attention "Over the River" at 3170 E. Main St., Canon City, CO 81212 or via E-mail to rgfo_comments@blm.gov . Deadline for comments is Feb. 10.

ON THE NET:

Over The River: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net

Christo meeting draws crowd

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

Christo meeting draws crowd

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CHIEFTAIN PHOTOS/CHRIS McLEAN
Christo and Jeanne-Claude sit in front of a poster of a portion of their proposed new project 'Over the River' during a public informational meeting Tuesday evening in Canon City. The internationally known artists propose to suspend about seven miles of fabric panels over about 50 miles of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida.

CANON CITY - The idea of a temporary work of art that lasts just two weeks like Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Over the River" proposal is for many a baffling concept.\

But for Nancy Cook, who spent time working at Christo and Jeanne-Claude's "Running Fence" project in Cotati, Calif., 30 years ago heard a rancher's wife put the concept into perspective that all could understand.

"She talked about how she spends a lot of time working on dinner for her husband and she makes it the most artistic, appealing dish she can accomplish and then he sits down to eat and it is gone in 10 minutes," Cook recalled.

Cook, then 23, heard the rancher's wife at a public meeting just like the one held Tuesday evening in Canon City during which the U.S. Bureau of Land Management got an earful of public comment from more than 150 area residents on the large-scale project which would consist of fabric panels suspended above the Arkansas River.

"The concerns there were the same as the concerns here. The Running Fence spanned 55 ranches, most of them dairy farms and the ranchers had concern their cattle would stop producing milk. A lot of the ranch owners were people of Russian and Italian descent and it was very hard to get their support," Cook said.

The ranchers feared for their sheep and cattle, that were used to walking certain paths, so Christo left gaps in the Running Fence for the animals to continue on their worn pathways. There never was a problem with the production of milk because of the artwork, Cook said.

"There were no birds flying into the fence - the birds used it as a perch. There were 200 to 300 young people like me working for them and they always supplied lunch.

"There was a drought and huge concerns about fire, so every truck was equipped with a fire extinguisher and my job was to run water," Cook said.

Many California residents also feared traffic problems on Highway 101, which is the equivalent of Colorado's Interstate 25, but there were no accidents on 101, Cook said.

"It (Running Fence) was absolutely stunning with silver, yellows, oranges and sometimes gold," Cook said.

Cook, now 53, is still a Christo supporter and now that she is retired from her IBM engineering job and is living in Canon City, "I hope to get the opportunity to maybe do something for Christo and Jeanne-Claude again."

Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 70, are New York-based artists who propose to hang about seven miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August probably in 2008 or 2009.

Fabric panels would be attached to steel cables stretched across the river, covering the water surface, but not the side slopes and would hang from between 10 and 24 feet above the water. The aluminum-coated fabric has been wind tested and would be porous enough to allow rainwater to seep through.

An outside contractor is preparing the environmental assessment for the BLM in an effort to evaluate all possible impacts and determine possible mitigation for impacts before the proposal can continue to move through the permitting process. After the environmental assessment, permits would be required from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol, Fremont and Chaffee County commissioners and the Colorado State Park Board.

The BLM also is getting input from Fremont and Chaffee County sheriffs departments, emergency response personnel and the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Additional public meetings are slated to run from 6 to 8 p.m. today at the Cotopaxi High School cafeteria and Thursday at the Senior Citizens Center, 305 F St., in Salida.

Among those opposed to the proposal is Fremont County Sheriff James Beicker, who said one of his main concerns is the possibility of terrorism.

"There would be a world view and I would fear a terrorist situation, domestic or foreign. I am not equipped to handle that," Beicker said.

"If they can alleviate some of my fears, I would sleep better at night."

Environmentalist SeEtta Moss said she would prefer to see the project go away because as a conservationist she has "a little bit" of concern for the bird life and is even more concerned about the bighorn sheep.

"The bighorn sheep are terribly stressed by the activity going on here already," Moss said.

"I would just prefer they didn't do it. To mitigate in the natural world is not quite the same."

Royal Gorge Bridge and Park General Manager Mike Bandera said the estimated 250,000 people the project would bring would be an economic boon for the area and he is "very much for it."

"The national publicity has already started. This morning on ‘The Today Show’ they spent three minutes talking about Colorado, Canon City and Christo and Jeanne-Claude's Over the River proposal on national TV," Bandera said.

A total of 15 media organizations were represented at the Canon City meeting Tuesday, said Ken Smith, BLM spokesperson.

Written comments on the proposal can be sent to the BLM, attention Over the River at 3170 E. Main St., Canon City, CO, 81212 or via E-mail to rgfo_comments@blm.gov . Deadline for comments is Feb. 10.

ON THE NET:

Over The River: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net

Christo project hearing in Canon City relocated

source: Copyright © 2006 The Pueblo Chieftain

Christo project hearing in Canon City relocated

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

CANON CITY - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management has changed the location for the first of its public meetings geared toward obtaining comment on artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude's proposed “Over The River” project.

The Canon City meeting will run from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Holy Cross Abbey Community Events Center, 2951 E. U.S. 50, where it was moved from City Hall. The 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday meeting at the Cotopaxi High School cafeteria and 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 19 meeting at the Senior Citizens Center, 305 F St. in Salida, will be held as initially planned.

The meetings will be conducted in an open house format, so there will be no formal presentation and the public can arrive at any time after 6 p.m. to meet with BLM, other governing agency representatives and Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 70.

The New York based artists propose to hang about 7 miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The enormous artwork would hang for 14 days, sometime between mid-July and mid-August.

The year of the project has yet to be determined but probably would not occur until 2008 or 2009.

Fabric panels would be attached to steel cables stretched across the river, covering the water surface but not the side slopes, and would hang from between 10 and 24 feet above the water. The aluminum-coated fabric has been wind tested and would be porous enough to allow rainwater to seep through.

An outside contractor is preparing the environmental assessment for the BLM to evaluate all possible impacts and determine possible mitigation for impacts before the proposal can continue to move through the permitting process. After the environmental assessment, permits would be required from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol, Fremont and Chaffee County commissioners and the Colorado State Parks Board.

The BLM also is getting input from Fremont and Chaffee County sheriffs’ departments, emergency response personnel and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Christo and Jeanne Claude started their Over the River work locally in 1995 after they scouted 89 rivers in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and decided on the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. Because many public meetings have been held during the past decade, several issues have already been identified and include impacts on wildlife, socioeconomic impacts, highway congestion and safety, conflicts with other users and response time for emergency vehicles.

Written comments on the proposal can be sent to the BLM, attention Over the River, 3170 E. Main St., Canon City, CO 81212. Send e-mail to rgfo_comments@blm.gov . Deadline for comments is Feb. 10.

ON THE NET:
Christo and Jeanne-Claude: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net

Christo’s river project subject of hearings

source: Copyright © 2005 The Pueblo Chieftain

Christo’s river project subject of hearings

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

A two-part artwork by Christo features an aerial photograph and conceptual drawing of the proposed Over the River project as it would look from underneath the fabric panels.

CANON CITY - The U.S. Bureau of Land Management is gearing up to accept public comment on large-scale artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude's proposed "Over The River" project, which would consist of fabric panels suspended above the Arkansas River.

The BLM is preparing an environmental assessment of the proposal and will take comments during open-house meetings from 6 to 8 p.m. Jan. 17 at City Hall, 128 Main St. in Canon City, Jan. 18 at the Cotopaxi High School cafeteria and Jan. 19 at the Senior Citizens Center, 305 F St. in Salida.

The meetings will be conducted in an open house format, so there will be no formal presentation and the public can arrive at anytime between 6 and 8 p.m. to meet with BLM, other governing agency representatives and Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife, Jeanne-Claude, both 70.

The New York based artists propose to hang about 7 miles of translucent fabric panels over eight segments of the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. The artwork would hang for 14 days sometime between mid-July and mid-August.

The year of the project has yet to be determined but it probably would not occur until 2008 or 2009.

Fabric panels would be attached to steel cables stretched across the river, covering the water surface but not the side slopes, and would hang from between 10 and 24 feet above the water. The aluminum-coated fabric has been wind tested and would be porous enough to allow rainwater to seep through.

An outside contractor is preparing the environmental assessment for the BLM in an effort to evaluate all possible impacts and determine possible mitigation for impacts before the proposal can continue to move through the permitting process. After the environmental assessment, permits would be required from the Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol, Fremont and Chaffee county commissioners, and the Colorado State Park Board.

The BLM also is getting input from Fremont and Chaffee county sheriffs’ departments, emergency response personnel and the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

Christo (left) and Jeanne-Claude. COURTESY PHOTO/WOLFGANG VOLZ

Christo and Jeanne Claude started their Over the River work locally in 1995 after they scouted 89 rivers in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and decided on the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida. Because many public meetings have been held during the past decade, several issues have already been identified and include impacts on wildlife, socio-economic factors, highway congestion and safety, conflicts with other users and response time for emergency vehicles.

During a presentation in July in Salida, the couple said they "chose the Arkansas River because it is so habitable - there is so much human activity. Also, there is no screen of trees to block the view of the river and there are high banks," Christo said.

"There will be many interruptions (in the fabric panels) for boulders, rock formations, vegetation," Christo explained. "The fabric panels' width will be the same width as the water."

The heavy, loosely woven fabric will be transparent, enabling rafters on the river to see cloud formations and mountains.

"With the blue sky of Colorado, from underneath the fabric will certainly be blue and it will constantly change color with the changing light," Jeanne-Claude said. "Rivers are like a ribbon of light, always changing."

Renewal of interest in the proposal has given birth to groups both opposing and supporting the project.

A group called Rags Over the Arkansas River is against the proposal. Group member Cathey Young of Texas Creek said she believes "The Christo team will not be concerned with how we, the little people of Fremont County, feel about their project. We must unite against this invader. Let (permitting agencies) know how the project will directly affect your life - whether it be your livelihood, your health (how will you get to the hospital?) your job, your enjoyment of the river, your tax dollars, etc."

This stretch of the Arkansas River through Bighorn Sheep Canyon could be part of a proposed draping in fabric of the river. CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/FILE

The Rags group has gathered signatures of those in opposition for presentation to the BLM.

A group called Friends of Over the River is supporting the proposal.

"The purpose of the Friends group is not just to support the Over The River project, but to do so by making sure accurate and current information regarding important issues - and the actions being taken to respond to those issues - is known to all of us who live in the valley," said Alison Gerlach, an organizer.

The Friends group will meet at 6 p.m. Jan. 10 at Bongo Billy's Salida Cafe, 300 W. Sackett, in the basement. For information, e-mail friendsofOTR@hotmail.com.

ON THE NET:

Over The River project: http://www.christojeanneclaude.net

Plan to drape Arkansas still rolls, says Christo

source: Copyright © 2005 The Pueblo Chieftain

Plan to drape Arkansas still rolls, says Christo

By TRACY HARMON
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN

New York artists Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude talk to a Salida audience Monday about their plans to drape fabric panels over the Arkansas River. Photo by Tracy Harmon

SALIDA - Bulgarian-born artist Christo and his partner-wife Jeanne-Claude, both 70, said Monday they still plan to see through the creation of their "Over the River" project despite a four-year detour they took to complete "The Gates" project in Central Park, New York.

Their proposal to "drape" fabric panels over portions of the Arkansas River initially started picking up steam in 1995 after the artists scouted 89 rivers in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States and finally settled on the Arkansas River between Canon City and Salida.

"We chose the Arkansas River because it is so habitable - there is so much human activity. Also, there is no screen of trees to block the view of the river and there are high banks," Christo told a standing-room-only crowd Monday evening at the Salida Steam Plant Theater.

The plan is to drape translucent aluminum-coated fabric panels from 8 to 20 feet above the river over a total of 7 miles in the 50-mile stretch between the Fremont-Chaffee County line just east of Salida to the Parkdale siding 10 miles west of Canon City.

"There will be many interruptions (in the fabric panels) for boulders, rock formations, vegetation," Christo explained. "The fabric panels' width will be the same width as the water."

The heavy, loosely woven fabric will be see-through enabling rafters on the river to see cloud formations and mountains.

"With the blue sky of Colorado, from underneath the fabric will certainly be blue and it will constantly change color with the changing light," Jeanne-Claude said.

"Rivers are like a ribbon of light, always changing," Jeanne-Claude said.

The artistic couple, who are used to undergoing long permitting processes for their grand-scale projects - the worst of which Jeanne-Claude said was the 20-year ordeal to gain permission to drape the Reichstag in Germany - are hoping to get a final OK to do the project here within a year from the Arkansas Headwaters Recreation Area governing agencies of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management and Colorado State Parks.

The environmental assessment required for the OK is 75 percent complete and a draft of the assessment should be available for public review by next June. If the permit is granted, it will take 12 months for the artists and their crew to install the anchoring system for the fabric panels.

Projected run time for the project will be two weeks sometime between July 15 and Aug. 15 2008, although it could take until the summer of 2009 to make the project a reality.

During their presentation Monday they addressed issues of traffic, emergencies and impact to wildlife. The couple, who fund all their projects out-of-pocket, said they would be willing to pay for ambulances, helicopters and firefighters to be stationed throughout the canyon during the duration of the project; and would even go so far as to pay to have watering troughs installed for Big Horn Sheep in case they are spooked by the panels above the river.

Several area residents who visited "The Gates," including Donna Murphy of Canon City said the integration of the people among the large-scale artwork was the most spectacular part about the experience - seeing how it brought people of all nationalities together.

Jeanne-Claude said the cost to realize "The Gates" was $21 million, which included employing 1,100 workers to work as monitors. New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced that the economic impact to New York City was an estimated $254 million.

Although the impact to Colorado would be less due to the rural nature of the project, the couple told Rep. Tom Massey, long-term economic benefits could be expected.

"People have problems with out projects but their comment and concerns, whether critical, positive or negative are all energy to become part of the work of art," Christo said.