The RiverCulture Project, now only in its 8^th month of existence already has done an excellent job branding Turners Falls as a great place to visit along the Route 2 corridor. Highlighting the town’s history, culture and vastly growing artistic resources it was RiverCulture director Lisa Davol who found a wonderfully unique and practical way to bring these elements together.

Understanding Turners Falls’ need for posted maps and information that visitors could easily access while touring through town; the idea of a public art project was born. Why not have several artists design and build interesting, sculptural art structures that could highlight history, culture and art while also providing a physical structure to post maps and information, thus eliminating the need for the standard, generic weather proof marquee.

Lisa Davol assembled an impressive group of advisors and jurors including Hezzie Philips the Director of the Contemporary Artists Center in North Adams, Joseph Krupczynski the Chairperson of the Northampton Public Art Committee, James Florschutz a Vermont artist recommended by the board of the Bratlteboro Museum of Art and Craft, town administrator Frank Abbondanzio as well as building inspector David Jensen, Northfield Mountain Director Bill Gabriel, and artists Jack Nelson and Chris Janke.

A Call to Artists was sent out, bringing in a total of 12 detailed applications from artists throughout New England, including New York. With allocated grant money in hand, the difficult task of selecting only 3 proposals was the next undertaking. Finally narrowing it down to 4 Franklin County artists, it was the town of Turners Falls unfailing dedication to this project that caused town administrator Frank Abbondanzio to step forward with enough funds to grant the 4^th artist with an acceptance letter. 

Stephen Cahill of Turners Falls, Cynthia Fisher of Buckland, Gary Orlinski of Leverett and James Rourke of Northfield were delighted to be selected. After the four detailed proposals were tweaked along with selected locations by the artists their creative juices, energy and skills were put into motion.

The common link between all 4 structures is their reference to the history and culture of the area. It is indeed intriguing and inspiring to view these public art pieces as well as speak to the artists who conceived and engineered them.

James Rourke interacted with town residents the most by assembling his project almost exclusively on location. Positioned by the bike path parking lot at the end of First Street, “Powertown” is an art piece that pulls together Rourke’s research on the town's industrial past as well as his own ancestral heritage working in the textile mills of Lowell Ireland. “Powertown” is a very large, round and partially abstracted wheel. The upper portion is constructed of steel and made to mimic or echo the forms of the old water wheels used by the local factories along the canal to power their varied industries. The lower portion is constructed of bricks. The axle of the wheel, positioned about 8 feet off the ground extends outward on both sides. It then rests on the top half of 2 outer structures that will house a map and other posted materials.

Rourke choose this particular location because of his draw to the river. The open space dominated by the horizontals of the river and the bridge proved to be an interesting challenge. “The surrounding landscape and structures,” explains Rourke “become materials to be explored so that we may gain a deeper understanding of the life of the past and possibilities for our individual and collective futures. The wheel is a universal symbol of man’s development over time and functions to visually draw a similarity between the recreational and mechanical uses of our earliest technology.”

The stories and chatter from local residents as they walked by while Rourke was working were an added bonus and seem to be an integral part of the finished piece for him. In his art making process Rourke is always trying to relate to his environment, using the colors and materials from the sculpture’s immediate surroundings. “It helps the structure to belong to the area,” states Rourke.

Rourke learned a lot from the project. Creating the sculpture was an agent that helped him get to know the area in a way that went much deeper than his research could have ever taken him. Rourke loves how “…art can be a lightening rod to the community” and enjoys the powerful truth behind this quote from artist Keith Harring, “Ideas are empowered as they are developed.” For more information or to contact Rourke please visit his web site jamesrourkeart.com.

Gary Orlinsky is an accomplished artist in the public art arena and enjoys designing and constructing sculptures that deal with the relationship between nature and civilization. Orlinsky’s piece is situated along side the river on the bike path as well. Its exact location is by the parking lot that is closest to the Fish Viewing Facility.

“Rock, Paper, Knife’ is an elegant sculpture that can be described as a structural collage. A tall, vertical piece, it contrasts nicely with the river and bridge in the background. Using heavy beams and an arched top with a piece of copper sheeting and a small water wheel tucked into the underside of the arch this artwork beautifully mimics the massive structure and aesthetic appeal of the factory buildings that line the river canal. Housing three windows set in a column Orlinsky offers us a glimpse into the past and present of Turners Falls. Through the window closest to the bottom the viewer sees a collection of flat rounded stones Orlinsky found along the dry riverbed. Placed on edge each stone has a distinct physical and visual relationship to the stones beside it, through both their color and smooth texture.

For the middle window Orlinsky visited Southworth Company, the one remaining factory in Turners Falls. It is here that a fine watercolor paper is manufactured. Orlinsky was intrigued with the beautiful deckled edges of the paper. Using small bundles, again set on their edges another relationship of like materials is born, not unlike the stones.

For the top window Orlinsky used an old sepia toned photograph from the John Russell Cutlery factory, along with several bricks from the factory’s ruins. From the photo stare the hard knowing eyes of workers on an assembly line. The effect is somehow daunting and comforting as well. Orlinsky is pleased with the piece and its location explaining, “In some ways we are all here because of the CT River.”

Orlinsky has been teaching design and sculpture for the past five years at Assumption College in Worcester and has an extensive portfolio of public art and commission work including his most recent project at the Children’s Museum in Boston. Orlinsky is represented by the Watkins Gallery in Northampton and can be contacted via email at gorlinsky@earthlink.net

Steven Cahill is a brick mason by trade. His piece tiled “Doosel” is located on the corner of Avenue A and Third Street in front of the Hallmark Museum of Contemporary Photography. While thinking about the design, Cahill spent some time walking around the riverbed behind the Discovery Center. Cahill has built a number of sculptures along the area and has always been captivated by the thousands of old bricks and pieces of roof slate he has found there. Intrigued by the way these old building materials look together Cahill decided to incorporate them into his piece.

Cahill spent four days cutting three-inch strips off of the ends of the slate shingles with a diamond wheel saw to create 1600 pieces for the sculpture. Inspired by the architecture of the surrounding old brick buildings, Cahill, using his trade skills built a comparatively small, approximately 4-foot square by 8 feet high brick structure. “The quality of craftsmanship in the buildings of this town has become somewhat of a lost art,” explains Cahill. I hope to pay tribute to this aesthetic in my work.”

It was important to Cahill to create a piece that blended well with the surrounding architecture. Referring to these buildings Cahill stated, “It felt a bit like painting with Picasso.” Although “Doosel” does an excellent job of mimicking these historic structures it also stands as an equally interesting, intriguing and elegant structure unto itself.

Appearing as a small, mysterious building without doors, the street side as well as the opposite side facing the sidewalk incorporates an exhibit window framed out in oak. The window is then further edged with the slate strips laid one on to of another exposing the rough edges to the viewer. Measuring the width of one brick everything was then glued flush on the frame. Another side of the piece houses a display of slate mounted, as they would be on a rooftop. It is quite a beautiful juxtaposition.

Cahill is also a self taught painter having participated in numerous art venues and has been recently encouraged to apply to the cooperatively owned Oxbow Gallery in Northampton cooperative. 

Cynthia Fisher’s piece, a mosaic is located in Peskeomskut Park at Avenue A and Sixth Street. Because of the inherent cost of working with this medium Fisher is always on the lookout for public art opportunities, thus making her work more accessible.

Fisher wanted to use a strong image that would be visible from a long distance as well as something that was derived from the historical aspects of the region.  An accomplished children’s book illustrator, Fisher incorporated her interpretive lyrical skills into this piece.

Choosing the image of a large salmon Fisher likens her piece to the representation of a healthy river and environment. Fisher is hopeful that the salmon, with our help will return to the area and recover from its drastic population decline over the years because of pollution and the damning of the river. The fish ladders in both Holyoke and Turners Falls have indicated that the indigenous fish is indeed on the rise.

“Atlantic Salmon” is a great smiling mosaic salmon that does indeed beacon one from a far to view its jewel-like reflective scales, read the posted materials and enter this newly renovated town park. Fisher can be contacted through her web site www.bigbangmosaics.com

Funding for the RiverCulture Project has come from the Massachusetts Cultural Council, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Western Mass Electric Company, Greenfield Cooperative Bank, The Franklin County Chamber of Commerce, the Town of Montague, the Community Foundation of Western Mass and Mark Abramson of Benchmark and Pratt Real Estate. For more information on the RiverCulture visit www.turnersfallsriverculture.org  or email Lisa Davol at riverculture@montague.net