The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

WAITSBURG - Wouldn't it be fun to relax with library namesake Fanny Weller over a game of checkers or to stand alongside Waitsburg founding fathers, William Preston, Sylvester Wait and William Bruce as they peruse the town? Soon, you will be able to do just that. Waitsburg's Main Street Art Project, which will commemorate these historical figures, is finally underway.

The city first approached Sherwood Trust for public art funds last year, but withdrew the application when they realized they were short on time to meet the required deadlines; that and the fact that Sherwood Trust expressed concern regarding the city's inexperience with public art.

In February of this year, the city tried again, asking triple the prior request amount of $50,000 and hiring former ArtWalla Executive Director Jeana Garske to oversee the process. Last month, the City of Waitsburg received and accepted a grant offer from Sherwood Trust for $125,000 of the requested $155,000.

Waitsburg's Art Commission is made up of members Gail Gwinn, Allison Bond, Elizabeth Wright, Deb Callahan (City Council representative), Richard Hinds (Historical Society representative) and newly appointed Kate Hockersmith. The commission has one vacancy left to fill. The group, under the direction of Project Manager Garske, has narrowed the applicants for the projects to four finalists - one for each of the two projects.

The initial conceptual design for Project 1 is an interactive piece called "The Game Table." It will include a table with Fanny Weller and another historical figure playing checkers, and two empty seats where visitors may sit. It will sit in front of the Weller Library. The Project 2 piece, "The Founding Fathers," will include life size likenesses of Sylvester Wait, William Bruce and William Preston standing on the north end of Main Street and looking at a map.

The finalists for the Fanny Weller piece are award-winning artists Keith McMasters and Wayne Chabre.

McMasters is a former resident of Dayton and is most known locally for his sculpture "The Stationmaster," which resides at the Dayton Depot. The self-taught artist began sculpting nearly 30 years ago and specializes in Western Art bronze sculptures. He now lives in Hamilton, Mont.

Chabre lives in Walla Walla, where he has several pieces on display, including "Guard Pigeon," "A Delicate Balance" and "Rooted," the Farmer's Market bandstand pavilion. Chabre works mainly in metals, but also in etched and cast glass, wood, resin, and cast concrete.

Finalists for "The Founding Fathers" are Jeffrey Hill and Squire Broel. Both reside in Walla Walla and have pieces on display there.

Top row: Keith McMasters (l) and Wayne Chabre have been selected as finalists for "The Game Table" sculpture which will sit outside the Weller Library. Chabre's "A Delicate Balance" is shown at upper right.

Hill's paintings and sculptures grace wineries and restaurants throughout Walla Walla. "Grand Crew," the bronze statue of a weary harvest worker hauling a lug of grapes, stands outside the entrance to the Walla Walla Community College Center for Enology and Viticulture.

Broel is a painter and sculptor and has several public art pieces in the City of Walla Walla's collection including "Lights of the Valley" and "Blooms in August" as well as the Walla Walla Sesquicentennial piece, "Looking Back, Looking Forward" at Heritage Park.

Each finalist received a $500 stipend to create a detailed proposal of their interpretation. According to Garske, the artists have expressed interest in personally presenting their own proposals to the Arts Commission. That presentation and the final selection by the Commission will take place prior to the August 20 City Council meeting when the commission will seek final approval from the Council. The pieces are to be installed in time for next year's Celebration Days event, the third weekend in May.