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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12, 2015
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ART PIECE TO BE UNVEILED AT
Two months ago, a call and a
grant went out to find an artist
that could complete the City of
Florence’s vision for public art.
Florence Regional Arts
Alliance (FRAA) formed a
committee and spearheaded the
project with the Port of
Siuslaw, who donated the site.
The committee wanted a
piece of public art to help iden-
tify the area’s artistic commu-
nity to the visiting public. Like
all great cities across the coun-
try, art is an established way to
recognize a city for its culture
and beauty.
The art piece had to with-
stand rains, amazing winds,
salt air, and the test of time on
its own. It was to depict the
scenes of Florence, wildlife,
the harbor, its culture, etc.
Artist Kat Cunningham read
the grant proposal and knew
she had what the city needed.
Cunningham, a seasoned
artist and product designer of
35 years, saw the piece as hav-
ing three iconic views that
related to the town’s activities.
“This is the people’s art,”
Cunningham said.
Cunningham’s medium for
the piece would be hand paint-
ed tile murals.
Three 6-by-3-foot scenes, on
a 2-foot base, will make the art
COURTESY PHOTO
Artist Kat Cunningham paints tiles that will be part of her
artwork symbolizing the Florence area. The public art
piece will be unveiled on Friday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m. at
the Port of Siuslaw.
piece very visible and recog-
nizable by everyone.
Cunningham said the piece
needed to make residents proud
and make visitors not want to
miss all the things that
C ITY H ALL Ride Rhody Express with
Florence has to offer.
The perfect site in Old Town
was donated by the Port.
The location, next to the
parking lot and harbor walk
and across from ICM, would
provide good visibility to the
public.
Cunningham assembled a
veteran team to assist with the
public art project. Jack Smoot,
of Jack Smoot Welding, cut and
welded the structure. Todd
Ohran, of Cutting Edge Tile,
helped assemble and complete
Cunningham’s column of hand
painted tile murals. These
experienced professionals were
proud to be a part of the city’s
new approach to artistic vitali-
ty.
Now, two months into the
process, the city has poured the
base and everything is in place
for the public’s viewing.
Florence residents are invit-
ed to the dedication of its new
landmark, “Florence Scenic
Column,” at the harbor site, on
Friday, Sept. 18, at 4 p.m.
FRAA will host the recep-
tion at 120 Maple St. from 4:15
to 6 p.m.
All are invited to meet
Cunningham and her profes-
sional team and find out more
about how the area gained its
newest public art piece.
Councilor Greene Sept. 16
Do you have a great idea or
thought you would like to
share with the Florence City
Council?
The City Council began the
“Ride with a Councilor” pro-
gram so that citizens can share
their thoughts. Each month, a
City Councilor or Mayor
Henry will ride the Rhody
Express to answer questions
and hear suggestions from the
community.
Hop aboard and talk to
Councilor Joshua Greene dur-
ing the next Ride With a
Councilor Day, which will be
Wednesday, Sept. 16, from
11:20 a.m. to 1:20 p.m. on the
Rhody Express.
Fares for the Rhody Express
are $1 per trip or $2 per day.
For more information about
the program, call the City
Manager’s Department at 541-
997-3437.
For a detailed bus schedule,
pick up a brochure at the
Chamber of Commerce, City
Hall, or online at www.ltd.org
/rhody.
For information about the
Rhody Express service, call
the Rhody Express at 541-902-
2067.
Trudie,
Denyse,
Shelby and
Lalitha
Time for a new
look?
Call and make
your appointment
today. We look
forward
to seeing you!
351 Laurel
Old Town Florence
541-997-3160
Annual Habitat BeachWalk is today
The Habitat for Humanity
BeachWalk is fast approaching
and and is off to a great start.
It’s time to put teams together
and gather sponsors and dona-
tions.
The BeachWalk will be
today, Sept. 12, starting at the
North Jetty parking lot. Walk
the beach from the jetty to
Driftwood Shores, any time
between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Everyone is welcome to join
in this fun event, including
leashed dogs. Walkers will be
entertained with music, be
treated to refreshments, can
hunt for glass floats and keep
what they find, and participate
in a sand-sculpture contest
with awards.
Any walker raising at least
$100 will be given a Habitat
BeachWalk T-shirt.
Other benefits include a
relaxing walk on the beach,
burning calories, improving
bone strength and toning mus-
cles, making it a win-win for
everyone.
Every donation raised goes
to purchasing building materi-
als to build Florence Habitat
for Humanity homes in the
community.
Habitat for Humanity was
founded in 1976 to eliminate
poverty housing in the world.
Florence Habitat is always
seeking passionate individuals
and organizations to join the
fight against substandard hous-
ing. Anyone who would like to
join the BeachWalk can pick
up a registration form at the
Florence Habitat for Humanity
office in the Grocery Outlet
shopping center.
For more information, call
541-902-9227.
OPB, LCC partner for business class
“Grow Your Business,” a
free workshop, will be present-
ed by Lane Community
College
Small
Business
Development
Center
Professional Advisors in part-
nership with Oregon Pacific
Bank.
Both start-up and well estab-
lished business owners are
welcome to attend and learn
about valuable resources and
tools to take your business to
the next level. The course will
include topics on how to
improve sales, identifying a
target market, understanding
finance, managing effectively,
marketing and more.
The workshop will also fea-
ture one-on-one business and
marketing advising sessions
with experienced profession-
als.
The workshop is free and
open to the general public.
The class will be held on
Wednesday, Sept. 23, at the
LCC campus in Florence, 3149
Oak Street, in room 103.
There will be a morning
workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 1
p.m., with individual advising
sessions from 2 to 4 p.m.
Register online at bizcenter
.org/locations/eugene/events
Click
“Managing
a
Business,” then click: “Grow
Your Business-Lane Florence
Campus.”
For more information, con-
tact the LCC Small Business
Development Center at 541-
463-6200 or OPB’s marketing
coordinator Ellen Huntingdon,
at 541-902-1509.
Presented by the Friends of the Florence Events Center
Florence Festival of Books
10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Florence
Saturday,
September 26
Events
Center
715 Quince Street
Florence, Oregon
www.FlorenceFestivalofBooks.org
Friday, September 25
GREENTREES VILLAGE
COMMUNITY WIDE
YARD
SALE
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 12
TH
3 p.m. Publisher’s Panel
A free event to introduce authors
to the publishing process.
7 p.m. Jane Kirkpatrick
Hear from the renowned Oregon
author. Tickets $8 in advance,
$10 at the door.
8:00 AM – 4:00 PM
GATES OPEN
TO THE PUBLIC
Both on the
East & West Sides
1 600 & 1601
Rhododendron
C ome fi n d a
Bargain!
VOICE YOUR OPINION!
Write a Letter to the Editor today.
Email Editor@TheSiuslawNews.com.
Thank you to our Sponsors!
Western Lane Community Foundation
Featured Readers Sponsor: Banner Bank
Verse Sponsors: Chad Clement, DDS, P.C.;
Florence Rotary; Harriet & Dick Smith; Maire Testa
Line Sponsors: Coastal Writers;
Ronald Hogeland & Nancy Archer; On Your Feet
With a Splash; Pacific Publishing;
Port Hole Publishing; Sea Lion Caves;
Siuslaw Public Library; Lynn & Shelley Taylor;
Siuslaw News; Hoagland Properties