by Kirby Lindsay
Fremont has a lot of public art. Some came by accident, some by careful planning, and other pieces have been thrust upon the neighborhood. Everyone has their favorite – and ones they’d like to see vanish… The Fremont Troll has landed on a list to vote for the Pacific Northwest’s Biggest Public Eyesores.In an effort to collect basic information on every piece of Fremont art – especially the smaller, less known works – Fremocentrist.com will, over a series of columns, create an inventory.
In no particular order, the series begins with –
The Bug
Precise installation date unknown, this piece appeared as guerilla art, or an ‘art attack,’ around 2006 (best guess, so far.) Artist information also unavailable. According to neighbor Kirk Richmond, at Far East Handicrafts, the piece has a solar cell that, at one time, lit its eyes, dimly. Located at the corner of Palatine Avenue North along North 36th Street, high on the telephone pole.
For the 2005 Fremont Outdoor Movies season, Scott Jonas, of Fremont Studios, had the screen repainted, and incorporated the profiles of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, from the film Casablanca. According to Jonas, Tom Price deserves the artists’ credit for taking photos from the film, enlarging them and painting them on the wall. Located at North 35th Street, facing Phinney Avenue North.
‘Reynard the Fox’ Mural
Installation date: 1984 According to Peter Bevis, artist Rich Beyer designed this mural in answer to Bevis’ quandary, ‘what can we do with a big, blank wall?’ The mural decorated the newly constructed Fremont Fine Arts Foundry, and Bevis believes the choice of story may have been a dig at him by Beyer. The story of Reynard goes in a circle, starting on the left side. The art was etched into the concrete in an attempt to deter graffiti, which worked for a while, Bevis recently reported. Quinton Lickliter painted in the outlines of the mural. Located at North 35th Street, facing Phinney Avenue North.
Installed in Fremont in 1999. Artist identity unknown. The topiaries, of a mama and baby Apatosaurus (probably), were created by the Pacific Science Center to promote a dinosaur exhibit at. After the exhibit ended, the topiaries were offered for sale – and Fremont activists Josh Logan and Jon Hegeman purchased them for $1 – plus moving costs. After the incredible, community involved move, organizers discovered their ivy had not been grown in but stuffed. Over the last decade the Fremont Rotary has encouraged ivy to grow from the ground onto the frames, as well as doing regular maintenance. Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Phinney Avenue North, North 34th Street and North Canal Street.
Evanston Avenue Plaza
Installed: 2003 Artist: Carolyn Law Law redesigned the plaza, according to her website, with assistance from the Berger Partnership and NBBJ Architects. While the entire plaza creates a wonderful, calming place to rest, the stacked rocks draw the most attention artistically – and have been stacked permanently with rebar running through them. Located at the foot of Evanston Avenue North, between the Burke-Gilman Trail and Burke Mill Road.
The amount of public art in Fremont can easily overwhelm. Art abounds here, and an inventory will take time – and many future columns. Those who have information either on works mentioned, or those to come, please drop the Fremocentrist Instigator a line – and keep reading to learn more…
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