Sisters artist creates stage backdrop

Synchronicity has been in play throughout the design and construction of Paul Allen Bennett's "Song Bird Tree," recently installed on the stage wall in Fir Street Park.

Bennett, a long-time proponent for public art in Sisters, happened to be walking into City Hall as City Manager Andrew Goreyab and Public Works Director Paul Bertagna were coming out of a meeting concerning what to do with that very wall.

The familiar silhouette of the Three Sisters had been considered, but Bennett's artist's eye had other ideas. He met with Kris Calvin of EarthWood Homes to discuss Calvin's intentions when he designed the stage. An important design element is the repetition of curves in the lines of the stage and its roof, the concrete benches, and the circular splash-pad. Bennett saw the curves as a way of incorporating an organic quality alongside the symmetry of other aspects.

When he considered the various elements of the park, Bennett first focused on the splash-pad, tying it to the importance of water in the Central Oregon high desert, and came up with a design incorporating water wheels and rivers. Feedback on that design was mixed.

Once again, synchronicity reigned when Bennett then focused on how the park space would be used and the fact that it is located on a street named for a tree - Fir Street Park - as well as the presence of the large conifer in the park. That led him to the fact that Sisters has the Tree City USA designation.

The stage would be the scene of events for the Sisters Folk Festival as well as other musical performances. A discussion with naturalist Jim Anderson led Bennett to consider the popularity of birds among many local residents. When Bennett added all those elements together he came up with the perfect design - a tree full of songbirds done in the folk art style. That design received instant approval from everyone who saw it.

Having never worked with metal before, the first consideration for Bennett was how to approach the project. He had recently seen an Art Beat segment on OPB about a Portland artist who had transferred her paper art images to metal, so Bennett met with her to discuss her process.

The next step was to locate the fabricators who could take Bennett's design and create it in metal. Ponderosa Forge's Jeff Wester didn't possess the type of cutter needed, but he recommended Max Manufacturing in Bend, who was able to complete the project. They laser-cut the design out of aluminum so the piece won't rust. It was then powder-coated by Commercial Powder Coating of Bend. From first concept drawing to installation took three months.

When asked how he felt about the installation, Bennett said, "It's one of those things that you hope it will come out as good as you envisioned it, and when it did I was very pleased."

Bennett thanks the City for their support of the arts. He thinks good public art helps give the town an identity and is one indication of its livability. He hopes to see more public art in place in the future. He and local writer Susan Springer have been very involved in encouraging more public art displays throughout the city, like the bronze outlaw stallion at the east end of Cascade and the blue heron statue in Barclay Park.

Bennett's dedication to and belief in the importance of the arts in the everyday life of our city is evident as he talks about how, with a little more attention to details when planning, the esthetic quality of public buildings and spaces, and therefore of the town, can be enhanced.

He would like to see Fir Street Park become a place for events like a chalk day for kids. He points to the over 100 squares in the concrete around the park perimeter - a perfect spot for local children to have a day to try sidewalk chalk art, which can be easily removed when they are finished.

He is hopeful that because of his song bird tree the park will become known as Song Bird Park and the stage as Song Bird Stage.