The Sun Valley Center for the Arts is making hay again. In 2003 the Wood River Valley was treated to three large-scale, figurative sculptures constructed of steel and hay by idiosyncratic sculptor Tom Otterness. (Where were these located?) Now there is a straw bale outline of what will be the new Sun Valley Center for the Arts in situ, on what is known as the Simplot lot, along West Fourth Street in Ketchum where the Center will eventually move.
The location has long been a prime dog walking spot. Since the installation it is a tempting site for horsing around, as is evidenced by the daily rearrangement of the walls.
The installation, devised by artist and teacher Bob Dix of Hailey, will remain in place all summer with a change of focus every few weeks.
The straw bales came from Rocky Sherbine's ranch in Bellevue and are arranged in the footprint of the new building. While standing in the midst of it, one is struck by the sterling location, light and remarkable views.
"There's no way we can do the two stories, but we'll take spaces and change them around," Dix said. "It's so people will get excited and get a conceptual idea of the new building."
This week the bales outline the footprint of the new center, without the underground parking or outdoor park areas. The focus is on the theatre/performing arts hall that is intended for film screenings, lectures, small performances, school presentations and more.
"The culmination at the end of the summer is to actually have an event at the site, maybe a screening of an art film" Dix said. "In the meantime, people can go in and visualize what the whole thing will actually look like."
The next focus will probably be the gallery space, then the lobby café, outdoor sculpture garden, and classroom.
The project was conceived to generate interest and remind people that the Center is still promoting its on-going building campaign. Depending on fundraising, the new Sun Valley Center for the Arts will break ground in the spring of 2009. Construction time is expected to be about 20 months.
For more information on the project, contact Sally Boettger at 726-9491 or visit sunvalleycenter.org.
Hay bales show where the theatre/performing arts hall will be when the Sun Valley Center’s new home is built. Photo by Willy Cook
