New Public Art Installation Day

Terresa White
10 hours ago
2 min read

Transformations & Other Visions, Winter 2025/2026

Multnomah County Library, Gresham OR

Installation success at the new Gresham library last month, on a cold and record-breaking rain day in Portland.

This sculpture, "North", is one of three in a series “Boundless: North, Center, South” that I completed in December with collaborator, Mike Suri. Together, the sculptures invite community to experience the Gresham Library as a portal to connection, learning, and wonderment.

I was inspired by tundra swans who winter in the Willamette Valley, adorning the fields and wetlands and enriching the earth. This piece celebrates my culture bearers who moved from Alaska village life to the Pacific Northwest with my young mom. Mike sculpted the beautiful stainless steel base.

"Center" making its way on the forklift...

Thanks to the Suri Iron and the Fortis Construction teams for install skills!

"Boundless: North, Center, South” reflects the rich diversity of Multnomah County Library users and the people of the City of Gresham, East Multnomah County, and the region.

Below, Mike stands with "South", the third of three in the series. His futuristic designs reflect a fusion of heritage and innovation, highlighting the library as a vibrant center for human interaction. In these stainless steel designs, Mike celebrates shared access to science and technology, drawing inspiration from the blooming geometry of Indian wedding mehindi and the rhythms of quantum physics. Through circular motion, repetition, and gentle variation, the works balance precision and fluidity, inviting reflection and curiosity.

My bronze spheres in "South" and throughout the series, together with my bronze swans, symbolize the interconnected and multigenerational community of people from all over the world who use Multnomah County libraries as gathering places for enrichment, community engagement, and knowledge-sharing.

This series invites community to experience the Gresham Library as a portal to connection, learning, and wonderment. Fences are still up around the sculptures and the library. I'll be sure to announce the ribbon cutting and sculpture unveiling in an upcoming newsletter this coming Spring!