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Healing art part of new cancer center
Open house to be held Oct. 15
of North American ornamental trees and a
representation of the hospital’s patient-centered
By EDWARD STRATTON
ethos — done by ceramicist Richard Rowland.
COAST WEEKEND
Laman had approached Rowland, locally
famous for his large, wood-fueled anagama
kiln — a type of ceramic firing technique that
hris Laman, director of Columbia Me-
originated in China some 4,000 years ago —
morial Hospital’s pharmacy and cancer
and asked if he could create something similar
care, said he wanted the community to
at the cancer center from broken pieces of
be involved in the building of the new Knight
pottery. Rowland, an adjunct ceramics instruc-
Cancer Collaborative, a partnership with Ore-
tor at the college, had been in the middle of
gon Health & Science University.
building a new kiln, but took a year off to focus
Like hiring local subcontractors to help fin-
on the mosaic.
ish the new cancer treatment center, that meant
“I knew it was the right project, because
reaching out to about 20 artists to populate it
(of) the cancer center being important in the
with pieces designed to help patients going
community,” he said. “I knew right
through radiation and chemotherapy.
away I had to take time off from my
The cancer center will hold an
WHEN TO regular work.”
open house 2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct.
Rowland started with an at-scale
15. And, in November, the artists
SEE THE
drawing on transparent plastic, later
whose work is featured at the cen-
CENTER
creating molds of the branches and
ter will be on hand during Astoria’s
leaves spread over about 80 1-square-
Second Saturday Art Walk to explain
The cancer
foot tiles.
their pieces.
center, at 1905
Testing and firing the tiles took
Exchange St.,
three
rounds in Rowland’s kiln, each
Bringing nature in
will hold an
requiring five cords of dry wood.
Randy McClelland, the hospital’s
open house 2
Donations of dry wood came in from
director of strategic initiatives, was
all around the world, he said. David
in charge of gathering artwork for the to 4 p.m. Sun-
day, Oct. 15.
Nygaard, a member of the hospital’s
cancer center.
board of trustees and head of Warren-
“Every single piece that went into
At 4 p.m.
ton Fiber Co., trucked in 10 cords of
the cancer center was created for the
Saturday, Nov.
dry wood for the project.
cancer center,” McClelland said. One
11, during next
Preparing the kiln takes three
exception was artist John Stahl, who
month’s Second
days,
along with another 110 hours of
died in January but had several of his
Saturday Art
continuous firing, McClelland said.
pieces posthumously selected.
Walk, the center Volunteers converged at Rowland’s
Artists were given guidelines on
will open again, property in July to cut wood, load the
art in a healing environment by the
with artists on
kiln and complete the final two firings
hospital’s consultant from the Plan-
hand to talk
of the tiles.
etree Alliance, a group of more than
about their
“It was back to back,” McClel-
60 health organizations worldwide
pieces and a
land said. “We had to unload the kiln
focused on patient-centered care.
“The idea behind it is to bring in
presentation by when it was 130 degrees inside. Then
we turned right around and did the
that healing aspect of nature,” said
Rowland titled
Felicia Struve, a spokeswoman for the “Art: A Commu- reloading again, just immediately.”
Earlier this month, crews from
hospital.
nity Connection
P&C Construction installed Row-
Throughout the heavily wood-cov- for Healing.”
land’s mosaic on the side of the
ered and earth-toned cancer center are
cancer center’s radiation therapy
pieces incorporating nature and local
chamber, around which will be built a
artistry.
healing garden. Rowland was the first to touch
Hanging high above the front lobby are
the finished installation, followed a couple
several paper lights, made to look like seed
days later by the entire staff of the new cancer
balls of the plane tree, created by Lam Quang
center. Such was the vision of the mural,
and Kestrel Gates of HiiH Lights. Murals in the
McClelland said, to help provide some positive
hallway incorporate local flora used in cancer
energy to patients, friends and family during a
treatment. A locally fallen tree provides a con-
difficult time.
ference table.
“We have an example of one of the greatest
healing environments that healthcare can pro-
Plane tree
vide,” McClelland said. “I feel like everyone
The centerpiece of the center’s art is a 2-ton
has come together at the end.” CW
bah relief mosaic of a plane tree — a genus
C
PHOTO BY EDWARD STRATTON
Ceramicist Richard Rowland said he spent about one year designing and building a 2-ton
plane tree exhibit for Columbia Memorial Hospital’s new Knight Cancer Collaborative.