Bridge for Blankets…we are making progress.  Did you notice that I said we?  Yes!  I am gaining momentum, as well as support on this imminent, and all-around-wonderful, public art project tentatively scheduled for install on the Broadway Bridge during the month of August 2013.  I proposed the project to the PDX Bridge Festival back in the end of October, and they loved the initial idea, but had some concerns about the blankets hanging from the bottom of the bridge and down into the water - Coast Guard concerns and all - so with some great advice about possible re-design solutions from Tony Lester, a recently retired bridge engineer for Multnomah County and new-ish PDX Bridge Festival board member, I came up with the new proposal design you see posted above. Since introducing Bridge for Blankets to the PDX Bridge Festival I have been invited on as a member of their board (I have never been a board member for anything, ever, so this is pretty exciting), and today I introduced my project proposal to the managing bridge engineers for Multnomah County, with the presence and support of my PDXBF colleague, Tony.  The engineer team loved the idea, and signed off their initial approval on Bridge for Blankets.  The next step in this public-art-dance-of-love will be to introduce the project to the District 1 Multnomah County commissioner, Deborah Kafoury, and County Commissioner Board Chair, Jeff Cogan.  I have been doing my research on these lovely individuals, and feel quite positive about my chances for final project approval from them.  Kafoury is a great supporter of the homeless shelter hosted in far E/NE Portland, at Parkrose Community United Church of Christ, and I just happen to have been born into this particular church family; I no longer attend regular services, but I appreciate and admire the work that they do.  Well now, for those of you who might not yet have the background details on Bridge for Blankets, you may be feeling like a deeper explanation of the project is in order. Here goes: Bridge for Blankets is a community-based knit installation scheduled for install on the Broadway Bridge for the August 10th, 2013, PDX Bridge Festival celebration.  This project installation will consist of four to six 18’ x 24’ knit banners to be hung above the pedestrian and biker decks of the Broadway.  Facing both the North and South sides of the Willamette River, these banners are a celebration of the Broadway Bridge upon its 2013 centennial birthday celebration, a visual reminder of the push and pull between our earthly and cosmic states as illustrated by the shakra color system - a constant shift  for balance that we all strive for daily - as well as a mode to provide, upon de-install, 36 to 54 6’ x 6’ blankets for donation to Multnomah County area homeless shelters.  We will need many skilled and enthusiastic knitters to volunteer their time and talent in order to make this project-dream of mine, and ours, a reality.  Please e-mail me at tyler.mackie@gmail.com to learn more about how you can help Bridge for Blankets become a Portland reality for you and yours come August, 2013.  *** For a further description of the conceptual basis of this project, please visit back three posts from this one to my initial Bridge for Blankets introduction. *** I will be making future updates on the project as new information, and time, is available to me.  Updates to look for will be: how to donate your time, money, or super-wash wool yarn, in support of this project, in addition to a plethora of other project nuts-and-bolts details.  Until I have the final go-ahead, I remain in the planning stages for fundraising and volunteer knitter support.  I am meeting with Trisha, owner of the Pearl District knit shop, Dublin Bay Knitting Company, this Saturday afternoon to discuss and document the beautiful array of Cascade 220 Superwash yarn that she has ready for sale and knit; I am hoping that Trisha can help me get the word out to the greater PDX knitting community, and help this party explode into divine fiber, and communal awesomeness.   I love you all for your continued attention and support of this project.  We can make this happen together.
Hey Everybody! Jane Rake, and myself, are organizing a Learn My Art session at the end of April for Project Grow, Learn My Yarnbombing.  For the session on April 24th, we will be organizing a sidewalk yarnbomb to be installed outside of the Project Grow gallery, and created by the talented Project Grow artists.  In addition, we will be giving a brief lecture on the history of yarn graffiti, and the increasing popularity of yarnbombing and yarn installation art, to be followed by a workshopping and “free” installation hour.  We are in NEED of donations of acrylic, worsted weight yarn.  Think of it as a Rite of Spring Cleaning!  Please contact me at tyler.mackie@gmail.com to find out how to donate and support this April session; suggested $3 donation.  Contact Project Grow for more details about the Learn My Art sessions at http://www.growinginalldirections.org/ or contact them with the subject heading “Learn My Art” at projectgrow@portcitydevelopment.org. Thank you!!!
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