Electronic Poet

Last updated
Electronic Poet
Electronic Poet, Portland (2014) - 1.jpg
The sculpture in 2014
Electronic Poet
Artist Keith Jellum
Year1984 (1984)
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze, LED light board
Dimensions0.25 m× 1.3 m× 0.51 m(10 in× 52 in× 20 in)
Location Portland, Oregon, United States
Coordinates 45°31′11″N122°40′54″W / 45.519784°N 122.681537°W / 45.519784; -122.681537
OwnerParking garage at Southwest 10th and Yamhill; City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council

Electronic Poet, also known as E.P. (Electronic Poet), is an outdoor 1984 sculpture by Keith Jellum, located above the sidewalk on Southwest Morrison Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues in downtown Portland, Oregon. The abstract piece is made of bronze and an LED light board which displays poems programmed in a loop. It is administered by the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Contents

Description

Plaque for the sculpture Electronic Poet, Portland (2014) - 2.jpg
Plaque for the sculpture

The sculpture measures 10 inches (0.25 m) x 52 inches (1.3 m) x 20 inches (0.51 m) and is made of bronze and an LED light board. [1] It displays curated collections of poems programmed in an "evolving" loop, intended to be rotated every six months. Selections of Jellum's favorite poems from around the world have featured American poets born before 1990, European, Native American and Northwestern poets, and Oregon place names, among others. [2] [3] The artist wanted to create "opportunities for moments of reflection within the urban landscape". [3]

The Smithsonian Institution categorizes the sculpture as abstract. [4] Smithsonian lists the parking garage at the intersection of Southwest 10th and Yamhill as the work's owner, while 'cultureNOW' says it is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council. [5] Electronic Poet was funded by the city's Percent for Art program and is administered by the Regional Arts & Culture Council. [3] [1]

Reception

"Dr. Know" (Marty Smith) of Willamette Week emphasized that the sculpture does not compose the text it displays and said its six-month rotation schedule "does not appear to be religiously observed". [6] Of the work's introduction, in the form of the text "I am E.P." being displayed approximately every ten minutes, Smith hypothesized: "Since E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out in 1982, possibly the Poet’s name was a play on the then-recent sci-fi blockbuster about another technologically advanced being with a wide, flat head. Possibly, but I hope not." [6] The sculpture has been included in walking tours of Portland. [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Kvinneakt</i> Statue in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Kvinneakt is an abstract bronze sculpture located on the Transit Mall of downtown Portland, Oregon. Designed and created by Norman J. Taylor between 1973 and 1975, the work was funded by TriMet and the United States Department of Transportation and was installed on the Transit Mall in 1977. The following year Kvinneakt appeared in the "Expose Yourself to Art" poster which featured future Mayor of Portland Bud Clark flashing the sculpture. It remained in place until November 2006 when it was removed temporarily during renovation of the Transit Mall and the installation of the MAX Light Rail on the mall.

<i>Pod</i> (sculpture) Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Pod is the name of a 2002 modern sculpture by American artist Pete Beeman, currently installed at Southwest 10th Avenue and West Burnside Street in downtown Portland, Oregon. The 30-foot (9.1 m) sculpture, intended to represent the "infrastructure, energy, and vibrancy of Portland", is supported by its static tripod base with a 15-foot (4.6 m) diameter. It is constructed from stainless steel, galvanized steel, bronze, titanium, lead and other materials. Pod was fabricated by Beeman and David Bermudez, and engineered by Beeman and Peterson Structural Engineers. It is considered interactive and kinetic, with a central, vertical pendulum that swings back and forth when pushed. The sculpture cost as much as $50,000 and was funded by the Portland Streetcar Project. Pod is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Da Tung and Xian Bao Bao</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Da Tung and Xi'an Bao Bao, is an outdoor 2002 bronze sculpture, located at the North Park Blocks in downtown Portland, Oregon, United States. The sculptor is unknown. It is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

Mimir is an outdoor bronze and concrete sculpture by Keith Jellum, installed in northwest Portland, Oregon, United States. The 1980 sculpture was commissioned by the Portland Development Commission and Tom Walsh of Tom Walsh Construction, and is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Thor</i> (sculpture) Sculpture by Melvin Schuler in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Thor is an outdoor 1977 copper and redwood sculpture by American artist Melvin Schuler, located on the Transit Mall of downtown Portland, Oregon.

<i>Echo Gate</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Echo Gate is an outdoor 2001 sculpture by Ean Eldred and the architectural firm Rigga, located along the Eastbank Esplanade in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was funded by the City of Portland Development Commission's Percent for Art program, and is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Running Horses</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Running Horses is an outdoor 1986 bronze sculpture by Tom Hardy, located on the Transit Mall in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Sculpture Stage</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Sculpture Stage is an outdoor 1976 stainless steel sculpture by Bruce West, located in Tom McCall Waterfront Park in downtown Portland, Oregon. The work was funded by the Comprehensive Employment and Training Act and is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Untitled</i> (Killmaster) Sculpture by John Killmaster in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Untitled is an outdoor 1977 steel and porcelain enamel sculpture by American artist John Killmaster, located in downtown Portland, Oregon. It is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Peace Chant</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Peace Chant is an outdoor 1984 granite memorial sculpture by Steve Gillman, located at Southwest Park Avenue and Southwest Columbia Street in the South Park Blocks of Portland, Oregon.

<i>Solar Wreath</i> Sculpture at the Central Library, Portland, Oregon

Solar Wreath is a 1997 sculpture by American artist Larry Kirkland, located on the third floor of the Central Library in Portland, Oregon. Funded by public and private donations funneled through the advocate and support group Friends of the Multnomah County Library, the abstract suspended gilded ring measures 9 feet, 4 inches x 12 feet and is made of aluminum and brass or gold leaf.

<i>Untitled</i> (Morrison) Sculpture by Ivan Morrison in Portland, Oregon, U.S.

Untitled is an outdoor 1977 painted aluminum sculpture by Ivan Morrison, located at Southwest 5th Avenue and Southwest Oak Street in the Transit Mall of Portland, Oregon.

<i>Stack Stalk</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Stack Stalk is an outdoor 2001 sculpture by Ean Eldred and the architectural firm Rigga, located along the Eastbank Esplanade in Portland, Oregon.

<i>Uroboros</i> (sculpture) Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Uroboros is an outdoor 1979 sculpture by Charles Kibby, located at Westmoreland Park in the Sellwood neighborhood of southeast Portland, Oregon. It is a modern depiction of the uroboros, an ancient Egyptian and Greek symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail.

<i>In the Shadow of the Elm</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

In the Shadow of the Elm is an outdoor 1984 sculpture by Paul Sutinen, located at the South Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon.

<i>Triad</i> (sculpture) Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Triad is an outdoor sculpture by German American artist Evelyn Franz, located in Laurelhurst Park in southeast Portland, Oregon.

<i>Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain</i> 1975 stainless steel fountain and sculpture in Portland, Oregon

The Frank E. Beach Memorial Fountain, officially titled Water Sculpture, is an abstract 1975 stainless steel fountain and sculpture by artist Lee Kelly and architect James Howell, installed in Washington Park's International Rose Test Garden in Portland, Oregon. The memorial commemorates Frank E. Beach, who christened Portland the "City of Roses" and proposed the Rose Festival. It was commissioned by the Beach family and cost approximately $15,000. Previously administered by the Metropolitan Arts Commission, the work is now part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council.

<i>Holon</i> (sculpture) Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Holon, also known as Hōlon, is an outdoor stone sculpture by Donald Wilson, located in the South Park Blocks in Portland, Oregon, United States. It was originally commissioned in 1978–1979 and re-carved in 2003–2004. It is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which administers the work.

<i>Leland I</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Leland I, sometimes stylized as Leland 1 or Leland #1, is an outdoor 1975 sculpture by Lee Kelly and Bonnie Bronson, installed in Portland, Oregon, United States.

<i>Oregon Landscape</i> Sculpture in Portland, Oregon

Oregon Landscape is a 1962 bronze sculpture by Tom Hardy, installed on the southern exterior wall of the Science Research and Teaching Center, on the Portland State University campus in Portland, Oregon, United States. Previously, the artwork was installed on Fariborz Maseeh Hall's western facade.

References

  1. 1 2 "Electronic Poet". Regional Arts & Culture Council . Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  2. Anderson, Jennifer (September 20, 2007). "Stumptown Stumper". The Portland Tribune . Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 "Electronic Poet". Public Art Archive. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  4. "Electronic Poet, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  5. "Electronic Poet, 1984". cultureNOW. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved September 24, 2014.
  6. 1 2 Smith, Marty (June 25, 2014). "Dr. Know: Whale Tail Tale". Willamette Week . Archived from the original on July 21, 2014. Retrieved September 25, 2014.
  7. Cook, Sybilla Avery (1998). Walking Portland. Globe Pequot. p. 58. ISBN   9781560446040 . Retrieved September 25, 2014.[ permanent dead link ]