Three Artworks Add Sculptural Drama At North Valley Complex In Wilsonville (Photo) -12/04/24

Salem, Oregon – Three eye-catching sculptural artworks, including a giant microscope, now grace exterior locations at the newly renovated and updated Department of Administrative Services North Valley Complex in Wilsonville. The works were commissioned through Oregon’s Percent for Art in Public Places program.

The artwork trio includes “MegaScope” by Pete Beeman of Portland, “Interconnected” by Sue Taves of Langley, Washington, and “Ballads of Small Worlds” by Crystal Schenk and Shelby Davis of Milwaukie, Oregon.

Beeman, a large-scale sculpturer, chose a microscope as the classic symbol of scientific scrutiny to represent the many labs on site at the North Valley Complex. His 32-foot-tall “MegaScope” is slightly off-kilter and built of rusting steel. “The style and design of the sculpture is intended to give it both monumentality and majesty,” Beeman explained. The sculpture is topped off with a Megarhyssa wasp, which is known to feed on invasive borer beetles in Oregon and, through research, have been encouraged to help manage a problematic beetle infestation.

Taves, a stone carver, tries to capture the natural essence of stone through design and to discover cohesive forms that use shape and texture to translate feelings, create moods and invite people to be drawn in. About her “Interconnected,” piece she said: “It’s a meditation on place and purpose, weaving the flow of the Willamette River with the cycles of nature and growth. The first view of the sculpture is the stylized river – its polished curves and textured folds capture the dual essence of nature, constant yet ever-shifting.” A parade of insects along the sculpture’s base serves as a reminder that “the ecosystem comprises both the grand and the minute, and we are part of this chain.”

“Ballads of Small Worlds,” the metal sculpture collaboration between Schenk and Davis, comes out of a shared interest in storytelling, history and symbolism. The husband-and-wife team said, “Inspired by hidden worlds discovered under magnification, this artwork reflects natural growth systems – pulling imagery from beehives, cells, plant structures and molecular architecture. With their fanciful shift of scale, the pattern of each sculpture zooms in on these intricate forms, mimicking them and creating new perspectives on what isn’t always visible to the naked eye.”

Multiple state agencies will be housed within the North Valley Complex and will make use of the building for offices, laboratories and warehousing, including the Department of Agriculture.

The goals of the Percent for Art in Public Places Program are to:

• Acquire engaging and enduring artworks that are valued by Oregon’s diverse communities;
• Encourage dialogue, creativity and a sense of place by integrating art experiences into people’s everyday lives;
• Incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion policies and practices into art acquisition and collection management;
• Advance and support artists’ development, recognition and economic stability;
• Enliven and enhance state buildings through the arts; and 
• Promote public awareness, understanding and appreciation of the arts.​​​​​

​​The Arts Commission promotes access to the collection through a publicly searchable database of artworks​.

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The Oregon Arts Commission provides leadership, funding and arts programs through its grants, special initiatives and services. Nine commissioners, appointed by the governor, determine arts needs and establish policies for public support of the arts. The Arts Commission became part of Business Oregon (formerly Oregon Economic and Community Development Department) in 1993, in recognition of the expanding role the arts play in the broader social, economic and educational arenas of Oregon communities. In 2003, the Oregon Legislature moved the operations of the Oregon Cultural Trust to the Arts Commission, streamlining operations and making use of the Commission’s expertise in grantmaking, arts and cultural information and community cultural development. 

The Arts Commission is supported with general funds appropriated by the Oregon Legislature and with federal funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, as well as funds from the Oregon Cultural Trust. More information about the Oregon Arts Commission is available online at artscommission.oregon.gov.