Myers, Andrew. Art in Rural Storefronts: Sweet Home, Oregon, 2012. Installation view. Corvallis, Oregon: The Art Center of Corvallis, 2012.
Settlers first arrived in the Sweet Home Valley in the early 1850’s and developed the community of Buckhead, named after a saloon featuring a set of elk antlers mounted on the outside of the building. East of Buckhead the community of Mossville developed with a store and post office. In 1874 these two communities merged to become one community called Sweet Home, which is built on a prehistoric petrified forest.
These three window installations illustrate a brief history of Sweet Home, Oregon. In a “tall-tale” style narrative, these elk antlered giants cast the petrified forest, dig the South Santiam River, plant trees, sculpt the environment and build the small towns of Buckhead and Mossville. The minimal color palette and wide range in detail in the drawings are meant to convey a sense of old black and white photographs.
Courtesy of The Arts Center, Corvallis.
Artist Credit: Andrew Myers
Exhibition: Art in Rural Storefronts: Sweet Home, Oregon, 2012