"I have lived in the NE neighborhood of Sabin for 25 years and it has changed enormously. When I moved here, it was much more diverse, a large percentage of the homes were rentals and most of the children at Sabin School were on the free lunch program. Before the current Whole Foods store, the corner boasted was an empty grocery store, then a PGE office, and a service station that was closed and boarded up when I arrived. I love being able to walk to coffee shops and restaurants but miss the eccentricity and DYI spirit of the old Sabin. Gentrification is almost an unstoppable force. Is there a way to embrace the new and still honor the past? Maybe the way to begin is to listen and learn."
-Linda Wysong |
Artist and Sabin Organizer Linda Wysong is a long time Portland resident. Her Grandfather delivered groceries with a horse and buggy in NE Portland and her Grandmother played the tambourine and worked at the Salvation Army in Old Town. When not repairing her house, she bikes, cooks, backpacks and hangs out at Peoples Yoga.
She has lived in Sabin for over 20 years. She was living in a rental a few blocks away and found the perfect house. It had no furnace, a leaking roof, no gutters, asbestos in a basement, crumbling concrete and mold on the walls but the price was right. She snapped it up and became a homeowner. Luckily, Linda was trained as a carpenter but at times the task seemed overwhelming. Now it is very livable. Just like the house, the neighborhood has changed. Her art is often not an object but an experience that focuses on people, place and daily relationships. It is a hybrid practice that stands at the intersection of community engagement, sculpture, and environmental design. Exploring the life of the city and explore how we shape our communities and they shape us, her work takes many forms. Sometimes it is ephemeral such as a walk or video projection and at other times, it is large scale and permanent. A recent public art project by Linda is the newly completed SE Clay Green Street. |
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