Wildwood: Follow the Crows

Wildwood: Follow the Crows
Year2026 (2026)
MediumFiberglass and steel sculpture
SubjectCrows
Location

Wildwood: Follow the Crows is a temporary art trail installed in Portland, Oregon, on August 7, 2026. Similar to the 2024 installation Coraline's Curious Cat Trail, Wildwood: Follow the Crows is a collaboration between Laika (the studio behind the upcoming stop-motion animated film Wildwood), Oregon Health and Science University's Doernbecher Children's Hospital, Wild in Art, the Portland Metro Chamber, and Downtown Portland Clean and Safe, and is supported by the Visit Downtown Campaign.[1][2][3][4]

The sculptures were installed until approximately October 31, 2026, then auctioned off with proceeds benefitting Doernbecher.[5] The call for designs yielded 214 submissions. The crows are 6 feet (1.8 m) tall and were completed by August 2026. Artists painted the fiberglass statues in a downtown office space that previously housed Start Making A Reader Today. The work space was called the "Crow's Nest" for the Wildwood project. The art trail had a corresponding app, digital and physical maps, a Spotify playlist, and a website.[6] A grand opening was held at St. Johns Library on August 7.[7]

Locations and statues

The statues are made of steel and fiberglass. Local and regional artists were "inspired by Portland's people, places and stories", according to KOIN.[8] 23 of the sculptures were installed in the city center, and 7 were installed elsewhere in Portland.[9] The works were installed in business districts and parks, as well as along Forest Park's Wildwood Trail. Three of the statues formed a "Wildwood sequence" to connect Bird Alliance of Oregon, the International Rose Test Garden, and Pittock Mansion. All 30 statues are slated to appear at Darcelle XV Plaza the weekend of October 30 to November 1, 2026.[8]

Mike Bennett, Lizzie Keenan, Reuben Lancaster, and Sam Warford are among the 30 artists selected to participate.[6] Bennett's sculpture A Crow of a Different Color was installed outside Lincoln High School. Bennett is slated to host a crow-painting workshop in September 2026.[10] Carson Ellis, who illustrated for the Wildwood novel series, designed a map for the statue installed at the St. Johns Library and attended the grand opening.[10][11] Lil Hobbit Cosmonaut's sculpture was installed at Keller Fountain Park. Lizzie Keenan's statue Sir Timber Cawthorne was installed at the International Rose Test Garden and Olivia Mount's work Emergence was displayed at Salmon Street Springs in Tom McCall Waterfront Park.[10] Matt Jones, also known as Freaky Footwear, was also selected for the project.[7] His sculpture was installed at Jamison Square.[9] Sam Warford, aged 19, was the youngest artist selected to participate.[11]

Michael Buchayano's statue Paul Birdyan, which resembles Paul Bunyon, was installed near Pride Plaza. The bird has a red-and-white checkered pattern, as well as blue and black parts.[12] The work was vandalized by August 11, with black spraypaint on the coat and blue paint on the beak. The artist was not upset, but planned to repair the piece. The Downtown Portland Clean & Safe has "sidewalk ambassadors" to check on the statues regularly.[13][14][15][16]

Maya McDarragh's statue, called Sakura Hanami, was installed outside Portland City Hall. Mayor Keith Wilson advocated for the installation and permitting with the Portland Bureau of Transportation, Portland Parks & Recreation, and Facilities Services was facilitated by the Public Environment Management Office.[17]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Dozens of giant crows are about to take over downtown Portland this summer". The Oregonian.
  2. ↑ Corser, Bobby (2026-03-05). "Portland officials announce 'Wildwood: Follow the Crows' art trail downtown in August". KATU. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  3. ↑ "Flocks of giant crows are coming to Portland with studio LAIKA's new citywide art trail". KGW. 2026-03-05. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  4. ↑ Ybarra, Vince (2026-03-05). "Art trail expected to debut in downtown Portland summer 2026". KPTV. Retrieved 2026-03-08.
  5. ↑ "City-wide art-trail inspired by film that is 'love letter to Portland'". KOIN.com. 2026-03-05. Archived from the original on 2026-03-06. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  6. 1 2 Sterling, Sean (2026-07-10). "Inside the secret studio where artists are painting massive crow sculptures that will soon appear all over Portland". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-07-10.
  7. 1 2 "Wildwood: Follow the Crows". KATU. 2026-08-06. Archived from the original on 2026-08-08. Retrieved 2026-08-07.
  8. 1 2 "30 colorful crows take flight across Portland in new Wildwood art trail". KOIN.
  9. 1 2 "30 giant crows take over Portland for LAIKA's 'Wildwood' art trail". KATU. 2026-08-07. Archived from the original on 2026-08-08. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  10. 1 2 3 Sterling, Sean (2026-08-11). "The stunning crow sculptures appearing across Portland are part of a magical treasure hunt inspired by LAIKA's upcoming animated film". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  11. 1 2 "'Wildwood: Follow the Crows' art trail opens in Portland through Oct. 31". KGW.
  12. ↑ Holm, Sami (2026-08-12). "Fowl Play: 'Wildwood' crow statue vandalized days after landing in Portland". KATU. Retrieved 2026-08-12.
  13. ↑ "'It's a unique twist': Portland crow artist's positive take on vandalism". KOIN.
  14. ↑ Brown, Griffin Uribe (2026-08-12). "New crow statue in Portland apparently vandalized". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  15. ↑ "'Wildwood' crow statue vandalized in downtown Portland". KPTV. 2026-08-13. Retrieved 2026-08-13.
  16. ↑ "Crow statue in Portland's Pride Plaza appears vandalized just days after installation". KGW.
  17. ↑ "Crow Sculpture Lands at City Hall | Portland.gov". www.portland.gov. 2026-08-07. Archived from the original on 2026-08-08. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
This page is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.