I have to admit, after taking the reef down in Lincoln City and packing it away (in my living room), I immediately turned to my own fiber projects that have been sitting on the back burner, some for several years. Since deconstruction, I have accomplished quite a bit on both my Olympic Canvas and my new canvas Nigigoons which will be donated to the Elakha Alliance for a fundraiser this fall.
But time is creeping steadily forward and in just over a month, we will be prepping the gallery at the Willamette Heritage Center for our next installation. I met with the gallery yesterday and laid out our plan for the set up and the marketing.
Since I have a full time job not in the fiber world, I will be taking advantage of the weekend before our set up to bring the reef to the gallery. This means loading up the U-Haul in Corvallis on Saturday, March 9th and taking it to Salem. The hope is to lay things out in their relative positions and get a feel for how it will all come together. The actual installation day will be Tuesday, March 12th. For anyone interested in volunteering to help load the truck on March 9th, please let me know! This is an unglamorous job that can feel very overwhelming for one or two people. For those interested in helping with the installation on the 12th, give me a heads up before hand. The opening reception will be at the Willamette Heritage Center on March 21st at 5:30 PM. The exhibit will be open to the public on Saturday, March 23.
I have had a few people ask me lately if we are still taking donations and the answer is a sly and shy “yes”. While we are not actively recruiting and going around to fiber fairs and yarn stores, if you are interested in making and donating, just let me know. I have already come to the conclusion that I will need to remake our donor sign for the Salem installation as we have had several pieces turned in within the last three weeks. While there is an admission fee to enter the Willamette Heritage Center museum and gallery, all donors will be able to get in for free. If your name is on the list, you are good to go, which is why a new, updated list is so important!
Perhaps one of the most exciting parts of the Salem exhibit is that there will be educational pieces in addition to our reef. Local college students who are doing research on coral reefs will have information available and a history of fishing and fishing gear will also be introduced, with a discussion on the environmental impact of abandoned nets. We will also have a showing of the documentary Saving Atlantis on Tuesday, April 23 at 5:30 in the Dye House, the day after Earth Day.
So after a bit of a reprieve, it’s time to get the PNW Community Coral Reef moving again!