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Lead artist releases preliminary art designs for Riverfront Park

The “earth ring” proposal by J. Meejin Yoon would give Riverfront Park visitors the ability to climb above the surface of the river via stairs or a sloping ramp. Yoon said it would create the feeling of levitation above the water. (J. Meejin Yoon / Courtesy)
The “earth ring” proposal by J. Meejin Yoon would give Riverfront Park visitors the ability to climb above the surface of the river via stairs or a sloping ramp. Yoon said it would create the feeling of levitation above the water. (J. Meejin Yoon / Courtesy)
By Kip Hill kiph@spokesman.com(509) 459-5429

For Boston artist J. Meejin Yoon, the beauty of Riverfront Park comes from the gushing falls and picturesque natural views, combined with an urban backdrop.

“After my first visit, I said, ‘It’s just so beautiful,’ ” the lead artist in charge of public art in the park’s redevelopment said at an open house last week. “Why would anyone do anything here other than sit and watch these incredible falls, and this amazing landscape?”

Yoon, the head of the architecture department at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will be working with a half-million-dollar budget and offered four early sketch concepts for discussion to the Spokane Park Board and the Spokane Arts Commission. Those designs all touch on Yoon’s previous work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology designing public art installations incorporating wind power, illumination and channeling a visitor’s focus through sightlines in sculptures.

“I thought the goal for the public artwork would really be a place, and a space, where you could experience the majesty of this landscape,” Yoon said.

Her early plan, which is subject to approval by the Spokane Park Board, would bring back the metal butterflies and place them in different locations around Riverfront Park to “mark the essential gateways into the park.” The butterflies were installed for Expo ’74, and there’s been an effort to have them restored to the grounds as part of the redevelopment. One butterfly stands at the end of the bridge between the former Canada Island and the north bank of the Spokane River.

Yoon’s four designs for public art include:

  • A “wind funnel” that would shimmer during the day and light up at night, allowing visitors to walk through and create shadows within.
  • An “earth ring” that uses accessible ramps and an infinity staircase to give visitors a feeling of “levitating” above the river, Yoon said.
  • A “step well” drawing inspiration from architectural features in western India that encourages visitors to climb or peer through gaps in the structure to the river below. Laminated timber could be used for the construction, Yoon said.
  • A “sky gazer” structure that directs visitors’ attention upward into the air, allowing sunlight to cast shadows or frame the constellations of the night sky.

Melissa Huggins, executive director of Spokane Arts, said the goal now is to narrow Yoon’s focus to one or two of the designs for final presentation to the Spokane Park Board.

With current funding, it’s likely one of Yoon’s ideas could be installed, said Spokane parks Director Leroy Eadie.

“If we were to do more than one piece, we would have to do some kind of fundraising for that,” he said.

The Spokane Park Board will review the designs and public comments before deciding on a final design, likely in the spring, said Fianna Dickson, a spokeswoman for the parks department.