SENTINAL / MONTGOMERY PARK / portland, or

400 SERIES STAINLESS STEEL.

Purchased by Sam Naito for Portland’s Montgomery Park, “Sentinel” unfolds in all directions speaking to memory & place. Indications of change, the welcoming light throughout the day & the refractive elements of this piece draw connections to the site’s history as a catalog warehouse & its historic renovation as one of the earlier examples of green building. Initially intended to be converted into a hydroponic garden to grow tomatoes for air shipment to Japan, Bill & Bob Naito returned from their one night trip with a new plan of developing it into a trade show and meeting facility as well as a merchandise mart & design center. My work embraces the changing of hands not only of industries but also of generations. The openness of the ovals & circles speak to the way the building itself openly extends connections westward to Japan & simultaneously eastward to Portland, while the circle references how the renovation serves the more local community of Portland & national visitors alike.

The building