Rebecca Staebler, owner of Hubbub, a unique boutique in downtown Centralia, helps to install “Orpheus,” a sculpture by Centralia artist Bill Wilson, in the parking lot outside of her store. Hubbub will be the permanent home for three of Wilson’s welded metal sculptures.
A crane is used in August to move Bill Wilson’s “Shatkona” out of the Monarch sculpture park in Tenino.
Artist Bill Wilson, Centralia, helps to move his piece, “Shatkona,” out of the Monarch sculpture park in Tenino in August. It is awaiting installation in Centralia.
Artist Bill Wilson, Centralia, helps to move his piece, “Shatkona,” out of the Monarch sculpture park in Tenino in August. The sculpture was first installed there four years ago. Shatkona, which Wilson says is a Sanskrit name for “superimposed triangles that form a six-pointed star,” is a 26-foot sculpture that Wilson welded together using old propane tanks.
Bill Wilson, foreground, helps to install one of his sculptures, “Sublimation,” at Hubbub, a shop in downtown Centralia which will be the permanent home for three of Wilson’s pieces.
It’s a work in progress, but the potential is already evident.
An old parking lot adjacent to Hubbub, a colorful art and clothing gift store on the 500 block of North Tower Avenue in downtown Centralia, could become a catalyst for urban revitalization. Nestled in what could one day become the Hub City’s “art district,” a privately funded, growing and as-yet unnamed sculpture park is taking shape.
“The idea has been in the works since I bought the parking lot,” Hubbub owner Rebecca Staebler said. “I kind of just let it happen, rather than saying ‘This is what I want.’”
Staebler originally envisioned the empty parking lots as something akin to a community garden or other community space. Then, after cutting asphalt and planting some landscaping, Staebler was approached by Centralia artist and sculptor Bill Wilson with some ideas for the area.
“He had some pieces he wanted to put someplace where they would have more visibility — a purpose,” Staebler said. “We started a conversation at that point.”
Now, several months since that initial discussion, the parking lot has begun to evolve. Two of Wilson’s pieces have taken up residence, transforming not only the parking lot, but North Tower Avenue in the process. Cold, shapeless asphalt has been replaced by a large, bright red, flower-like sculpture titled “Orpheus” that now sites on the corner of Tower and West Center Street, adding striking color to the otherwise generally gray urban environment. Another piece titled “Sublimation,” a tall, white sculpture, stands in contrast against the red brick exterior wall of the Hubbub building. Staebler installed green lights inside Sublimation that add color to the park after the sun goes down.
“Spaces where community can gather within an urban setting (are) important,” Staebler said. “And I think places where there is art that a community can enjoy are important.”
A third Wilson sculpture, a black monolithic piece called “Shatkona,” which until recently was on display at the Monarch Sculpture Park north of Tenino, sits awaiting a crane large enough to lift its 2 1/2 ton bulk onto its new foundation in Staebler’s new park. One crane is lined up, but it isn’t immediately available. She has tried to find alternative sources, but a crane with the capacity to lift an object as heavy as Shatkona is hard to come by.
“I hope that with this it would inspire somebody to say ‘Well gosh, maybe we can do that in our garden space’,” Staebler said. “I think it’s getting a lot of attention; I think it will bring some good attention to the north end of town.”
Staebler pointed out that successful cities such as New York — which planned itself around Central Park — recognize the benefits of community-oriented urban green spaces.
“Spaces like that are really important,” Staebler said. “Cities do it and big funders do it, so I did it.”
As far as a name for the park, it’s “up for discussion at this point.” Although she has tossed a few names around, Staebler isn’t ready to commit to any of them yet.
“I’m actually thinking about having a little contest to name it, or suggest a name,” Staebler said. “Stay tuned.”
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Lee Hughes: (360) 807-8239
