Media: Fianna Dickson, 625.6297. Parks & Recreation: 311 or 509.755.2489
Wednesday, June 2, 2021 at 8:02 p.m.
SPOKANE – Thursday, June 3, local artist Sarah Thompson Moore will oversee the finishing touches on the art sculpture, Convergence at People’s Park – the sandblasting and engraving of 16 pictographs and their Salish titles, created by tribal youth from the Wellpinit School District.
A media opportunity is available at 1 P.M. to view the sandblasting of the pictographs. Industrial Creations, Inc. will be on site doing the work, along with Ms. Moore. The art piece is located on the south side of the Sandifur Memorial Bridge in Peaceful Valley.
The artist worked with art teacher Cheryl Brown and her K-12 students via video conference. The submitted designs were provided to the Spokane Tribe’s Culture Department, where the final 16 designs were selected and their Salish translations provided.
Convergence celebrates the history and ingenuity of the traditional fishing technologies utilized by the original inhabitants of this land for thousands of years. The pictographs are a way of tangibly connecting that history to the present and the future of the Spokane Tribe, through the youth of today.
In the near future, a webpage will be created where visitors can learn more about each pictograph, including the name and grade of the young artist who created it, a personal description of their work, as well as translations and pronunciations for the Salish words engraved next to each image.
Background
View the City Cable 5 video that shares the story behind Convergence.
Convergence represents a fishing weir, which were built into the rivers to funnel the fish into areas where they were easier to trap. The Spokane River Gorge is where Native Americans, especially the Spokane Tribe of Indians, used weirs to help catch and cure hundreds of migrating salmon.
“I became fascinated by the fishing technologies that were used and the amount of salmon that used to come through here. I really wanted to do something that celebrated that ingenuity and technology,” Thompson Moore said of her sculpture. “It’s really cool to think about it being here a very long time and also, our human connection to the river, past, present and future.”
Convergence was created through collaboration with the Spokane Tribe of Indians, Spokane Arts, City of Spokane, Spokane Park Board, Joint Arts Committee, and the Peaceful Valley Neighborhood Council. The artwork was funded by the City of Spokane.
About City of Spokane Parks and Recreation
City of Spokane Parks and Recreation stewards nearly 120 properties across 4,000 acres of park land, including manicured parks, conservation lands, aquatic centers, golf courses, sports complexes, and an arboretum. We also offer hundreds of recreation opportunities for all ages and abilities to improve the health and quality of life for our community. Enjoy all your city has to offer by visiting spokaneparks.org. Follow us @SpokaneParks on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
-###-
The City of Choice
509.625.6200
parks@spokanecity.org
808 W. Spokane Falls Blvd, Spokane, WA 99201
