Dragon Gone

Early this morning, crews removed the public artwork that has been causing so much controversy in Old Town/Chinatown in over the past several months. That means no more red granite dragon sculpture at NW 4th and Davis.

(Before:)

(After -- 9:00 a.m. this morning:)



Meanwhile, DK Row has an article coming out in tomorrow's Sunday Oregonian (O! section, page 7) that explains (at least from his fairly-well researched perspective) some of what may have gone wrong. Included in his 20/20 hindsight assessment are two key points:

• The public-art-as-usual process didn't fully consider the insular complexity of Portland's most diverse neighborhood.


• A complicated Chinese American community in Old Town didn't express its disapproval until it was too late.

David makes some good observations about the complications of dealing with culturally-specific public art projects, and notes that many artists have learned to avoid such projects altogether. There are additional suggestions about how RACC could have been more pro-active in its dealings with the Chinese American community.