For Oregon Country Fair 2024, we are creating a pavilion inspired by the Black Heron – a bird that creates a canopy with its wings as part of its feeding ritual, as fish are drawn to the shade of the shadow they cast.

While our Black Heron is designed to provide respite and shelter from the sun and rain, as well as light in the dark of night, she is also a reminder of the many ways that all creatures on earth learn to adapt and survive. Somewhat a shadow dancer, she encourages us to embrace our own shadows, an integral part of being a whole and integrated being. Being at one with our whole selves – dark and light and everything in between - allows us to find inner peace and enhances our capacity for empathy, for humans and nature and every creature that resides in it.

Materials: steel, fabric (including recycled shade cloth), Volkswagon fenders, additional reclaimed items and materials

Donate to our fundraiser! Creating art is always a labor of love, and we are grateful for a small grant from Oregon Country Fair to help us build this lovely bird. But the cost of materials and shop space – not to mention countless hours of time, both paid and volunteer – exceeds the amount granted. In order to fill the gap, we are aiming to raise another $5,000. This will help us with material costs, costs for snacks for volunteers at community work parties, the cost of transport to and from Oregon Country Fair, and also to pay some of the key artists working on the piece – Richard Cawley and Julia Alora. 

https://gofund.me/45fdb32a

Join us for a community crafting session. We need help adorning the heron with feathers, created out of reused materials!. Come help out! We’re looking at these dates for community work days:

• June 23

• June 30