"The Interstate Max Public Art Program includes artwork at every stop of Portland, Oregon's Yellow Max line for public transit, which opened May 1, 2004. The program was guided by a vision of multiculturalism and community involvement that had its roots in the lives of generations of North Portland residents. Artwork at every stop on the line draws from the history and culture of the area to create a unique identity for each station. At the N. Portland Boulevard Station, a team of Native American artists Lillian Pitt, Ken MacKintosh, Rick Bartow, and Gail Tremblay use traditional motifs to symbolize the life-sustaining relationships of nature. Historic petroglyphs from the Columbia River Gorge appear on columns, custom benches and railing panels. A traditional basket weave pattern is repeated in the pavement."

THE AINSWORTH GREENSPACE

In January, 2004, Portland's transportation system, TriMet installed three, one-ton totem sculptures called "River Spirits" at the Ainsworth Greenspace, which is part of the Metropolitan Greenspace Project of Portland. The Ainsworth sculptures are an extension of the N. Portland Blvd MAX Station, reflecting the Native American culture and experience.

Inspiration for the 12-foot-tall sculptures was drawn from trees along the Interstate MAX alignment. Three bronze totem heads representing a legendary or sacred being top the totems: "Stick Figure" by Lillian Pitt (shown in the center), "Salmon" by Ken MacKintosh, and "Crow" by Rick Bartow. The sculptures face inward, forming a small plaza with a river-like pathway and bronze spiral inset in the center.

"VOICES"--THE BRONZE PLAQUE SERIES AT THE
OREGON CONVENTION CENTER

Since its opening in 1990, the Oregon Convention Center has become known for its extensive public art collection, which is valued at over two million dollars. For the Center’s 2003 expansion, ten artists were selected through a public invitation process to produce work for the center’s permanent collection, one of the largest and most varied convention center art programs in the country. Native American artist, Lillian Pitt designed "Voices," a series of 26 bronze relief plaques in what will be the largest collection of a Native American’s artwork for a public space in the city. Her collaborators in the project, housed in the Center’s Tower section, were Gail Tremblay and Ken MacKintosh.

PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY
PUBLIC ART PROJECTS

Lillian has been honored by a continuing artistic connection with Portland State University. Over the past several years, the school has commissioned her to create several important public art projects, especially those with their Native American Student Center. Her public art for PSU includes two rooftop sculptures and a 50' pole, recently installed, which illustrates and celebrates the journey of salmon in the Columbia Gorge from birth to their journey to the sea, to their pilgrimage home to spawn.

One of Lillian Pitt's enduring concerns has been to educate the public about the necessity to preserve the Columbia River Gorge's fragile environment and especially to safeguard the ancient petroglyphs found there, the premier site of prehistoric art in the Northwest. Though public access to the sacred sites in the Gorge is limited, she wanted everyone to have the opportunity to experience these ancient symbols and their power to heal and teach. She was given a priceless opportunity to attain that goal when she and her team were commissioned by the Civic Center of Hillsboro, OR to recreate the Columbia riverbed and surrounding cliffs in a public art project that opened in June, 2005.

Read the history of the Columbia Gorge petroglyphs, and see closeups of Lillian's petroglyph carvings at the Hillsboro Civic Center here.

CENTRAL OREGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BEND, OREGON

This striking piece of public art was commissioned by Central Orgon Community College in Bend, OR. Installed on campus in 2006, it is bronze and stainless steel on a concrete slab and measures 8'tall by 3' wide by 12" deep.

"She Who Watches"(Tsagaglal) is one of the most potent recurring images in Lillian Pitt's art. You will find her expressed on these pages in many media from masks and large public art pieces to prints, jewelry, and fabric. This important legendary figure was the last woman chief of the Columbia River People. She wanted to watch over her people forever, so Coyote changed her into a rock.

Arts Downtown is a rotating exhibit of 30 or more statues and other public art along the downtown avenues of Lake Oswego, OR. Defined as Lake Oswego's gallery without walls, it integrates art into the daily lives of residents and visitors. Other than those that are part of the city's permanent collection of public art, all items are available for purchase. (For information on availability, contact the artist.)

Pieces of Lillian Pitt's statuary were selected in 2006 and 2007 to be part of these exhibits. Seen at right is her "Ancestral Being Waves the Soul." In steel and bronze, it measures 8' x 5' x 2'. Another piece on display is "Dream of the Soul."

Lillian Pitt is one of four artists whose work shapes the Vancouver Land Bridge, one of seven public art installations included in the Vancouver-based Confluence Project. A dedication is scheduled for spring 2008. Waterways merge or traditional peoples have gathered at each of the sites. The Vancouver pedestrian and bicycle bridge is at the confluence of the Columbia River and Klickitat Trail, a trade corridor that for centuries connected Native American tribes from both sides of the Cascades. For as many as 35 Native American and European cultures, this confluence is the most historically significant area in the Pacific Northwest. Fort Vancouver was built on the site of the tribal crossroads 20 years after Lewis and Clark passed this point.

The 40-foot-wide bridge spans state Highway 14, reconnecting Fort Vancouver National Historic Site to the Columbia River waterfront. Lillian’s contributions to this project include the bridge's Welcome Gate and Seating Basket. The Welcome Gate, designed by Lillian, is derived from a traditional Native American Tool, the canoe paddle, and consists of two abstract paddles with two glass masks inserted where the paddles intersect. The gate serves as the entry portal at Old Apple Tree Park. The Three Mountain design, a traditional basket weave pattern, is an integral part of the land bridge and represents the three mountains visible from there: Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount Saint Helens.

The adjoining landscape is being restored with native plants similar to those that existed in the area at the time of Lewis and Clark. The land bridge will provide passage for pedestrians, cyclists and non-motorized vehicles from the Kanaka Village area in Fort Vancouver to the Columbia River. Visitors will have sweeping views of Fort Vancouver, the Cascade Mountains, the Columbia River and Mount Hood. Construction of the project is a partnership of Confluence Project members, the National Park Service, the city of Vancouver and the Washington State Department of Transportation, and made possible through federal, state and private funding.

Last but not least, as we worked on this web page, it became clear that the page itself is still another piece of public art, a collaboration between Lillian Pitt and web designer, Donna Cunningham. By its presence on the web, Lillian extends the knowledge and healing wisdom of her ancestors to the public in a new way, accessible to anyone on the web, just as her more tangible public art projects extend it to anyone who see them. The mask slide show, in particular, creates a direct experience of the magic and power in her tribal ritual just by viewing the images. Have a look at the slide show!