Year of the River- Watermark Project
By: Tony Grant
Updated: March 14, 2013
A group of local artists called 'Watermark' is doing its part to celebrate the Year of the River.
It was formed in February of 2012 and is working to provide Fairbanks Park with a work of art.
WAWV's Tony Grant tells us why the river means so much to them.
"The Year of the River is art based. It was started by Art Spaces and Arts Illiana. It's an arts based community celebration of the river."
Jo Anne Fiscus has spent many hours shaping tiles and designing her contribution to a group project that started over a year ago.
Sixteen local artists wanted to help celebrate the Year of the River.
"It's just a wonderful group of people to work with. Sometimes working with artists is like herding cats. But we came up with an idea and we have all worked really hard on this."
The artists have a wide range of backgrounds. Including engineers, teachers, and business owners, each with their own skill set and limitations.
"We just worked our way through it. And the beautiful thing with the internet, which we wouldn't have had years ago to attempt this, but we would e-mail oh i did this and this worked."
Thirty stepping stones will be placed near the playground area at Fairbanks Park with a dedication to take place on June 23rd.
And with an April 1st deadline to have the tiles complete, Jo Anne has a hard time looking that far ahead.
"It seems like it's very far away to see it all complete. It will be hard to drag me away from the river, because it's going to be an amazing feeling."
The group hopes to inspire others to express their artistic abilities, and to also take a moment and recognize the importance of the Wabash River and what it means to our community.
"It started at the banks of the Wabash River and grew from first street on. It's part of our history, it's part of who we are. And to ignore it is to deny who we are."
Reporting in Terre Haute...I'm Tony Grant..WAWV news.
Crews will begin laying the foundation in April.
Their will be a dedication ceremony for the Watermark project on June 23rd at Fairbanks Park.
It was formed in February of 2012 and is working to provide Fairbanks Park with a work of art.
WAWV's Tony Grant tells us why the river means so much to them.
"The Year of the River is art based. It was started by Art Spaces and Arts Illiana. It's an arts based community celebration of the river."
Jo Anne Fiscus has spent many hours shaping tiles and designing her contribution to a group project that started over a year ago.
Sixteen local artists wanted to help celebrate the Year of the River.
"It's just a wonderful group of people to work with. Sometimes working with artists is like herding cats. But we came up with an idea and we have all worked really hard on this."
The artists have a wide range of backgrounds. Including engineers, teachers, and business owners, each with their own skill set and limitations.
"We just worked our way through it. And the beautiful thing with the internet, which we wouldn't have had years ago to attempt this, but we would e-mail oh i did this and this worked."
Thirty stepping stones will be placed near the playground area at Fairbanks Park with a dedication to take place on June 23rd.
And with an April 1st deadline to have the tiles complete, Jo Anne has a hard time looking that far ahead.
"It seems like it's very far away to see it all complete. It will be hard to drag me away from the river, because it's going to be an amazing feeling."
The group hopes to inspire others to express their artistic abilities, and to also take a moment and recognize the importance of the Wabash River and what it means to our community.
"It started at the banks of the Wabash River and grew from first street on. It's part of our history, it's part of who we are. And to ignore it is to deny who we are."
Reporting in Terre Haute...I'm Tony Grant..WAWV news.
Crews will begin laying the foundation in April.
Their will be a dedication ceremony for the Watermark project on June 23rd at Fairbanks Park.
