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closeWednesday, Jul. 08, 2009
Artwork enriches Tri-Cities Business & Visitor Center
By Pratik Joshi, Herald staff writer
KENNEWICK -- Art is about enriching life, and artwork in a public place like the new Tri-Cities Business and Visitor Center improves the first impressions of visitors and guests.
Community leaders on Tuesday celebrated the importance of art in promoting economic development at a public reception honoring the local artists whose works adorn the Kennewick center.
Near the entrance, four glass panels by Deborah Barnard reflect the beauty of sagebrush through four seasons.
And in the foyer, a set of panels by James Craig is made from recycled paper pulp on recycled marine plywood to express the topography of the Tri-Cities through abstract forms.
A metal sculpture by Michael Rastovich that will reflect the "synergy" of the building's three occupants -- the Tri-City Development Council, Tri-Cities Visitor & Convention Bureau and Tri-City Regional Chamber of Commerce -- is to be installed outside the building in late September.
"Art provides a positive sense of the place," said Kris Watkins, president and CEO of the convention bureau. Guests from far and near visit the center, and the unique local artwork makes it easier for them to relate to the Tri-Cities and what it has to offer, she said.
That's why the committee that commissioned artwork last year from area artists wanted pieces that would reflect the community, its history, geology, economy and ecology or any other unusual aspects of the area, said Deanna Smith, director of public affairs at the Tri-City Development Council.
The committee selected Barnard and Craig from more than 25 entries.
A donation of $8,000 from the Battelle Foundation helped the project, Smith said.
Rastovich's metal art, which will cost about $30,000 including installation and lighting, is being paid for by the Kennewick Arts Commission, said Candice Bluechel, commission president. The nonprofit agency aims to install art at public places in the city.
She said the commission decided to install artwork at the business and visitor center as part of that vision.
It's a new building that's near the Columbia Center shopping district and the Three Rivers Convention Center and looked like a perfect place to start, she said. "Art is a very intricate part of economic development."
-- Pratik Joshi: 582-1541; pjoshi@tricity herald.com; Business Beat blog at www.tricityherald.com
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