"Dancing Chairs"

by James Schmidt

Description:

In January 2010, the HACC put out a call for its first public art installation in an effort to repurpose an unutilized fountain on City of Hillsboro property. The public art panel chose the sculptures of local artist James Schmidt, as his whimsical, animated chair sculptures seemed to be a perfect fit with the location on 2nd and Washington. The sculptures will be in place for the next three to five years, while the City makes preparation for renovations in the area. Though a temporary installation, this public art piece represents the HACC’s pilot effort in Hillsboro’s Public Art Program and captures the HACC’s vision of developing public art projects that enhance and beautify civic spaces, enliven our neighborhoods, and draw community members together.

Artist Bio:

James Schmidt is a resident of North Plains and has been an artist for over 40 years. He previously created a public art piece that currently serves as the bus shelter for the Hillsboro Main Library, and his work has been displayed throughout Oregon and Washington. According to James, his sculpture series, “Dancing Chairs,” “appear to move with an animated and joyful spirit. A chair is, after all, perhaps the closest abstraction to our own body. We ascribe names to chair parts as we have names of own body extensions: arms, legs, back, seat, etc. These particular sculptures breathe life into this commonest of daily objects that surround our lives. They appear to want to jump down off their pedestal and follow you down the street, as one goes off to work and greets you as you head for home.”

Artist Website: jamesschmidtsculpture.com

Click Here to check out more photos of Hillsboro's Public Art Collection in our Flickr Gallery.