PORT ANGELES — A Port Angeles artist has been selected from nine North Olympic Peninsula entries to create signage for the North Olympic Land Trust building in Port Angeles.
Nathan Shields was chosen by a jury of professional artists and the executive directors and board members of both the Land Trust and Port Angeles Fine Fine Arts Center, who reviewed the entries — eight from Clallam County and one from Jefferson County.
“North Olympic Land Trust does great work on the Peninsula, helping to keep it the kind of place we love living,” Shields said.
“When I saw the flyer in the library asking for signage ideas, I knew I had to give it a go.”
The entrance signage will go above the door of the land trust building at 602 E. Front St. It is expected to be installed sometime this spring.
Grant support from the Land Trust Alliance’s Excellence Program enabled the project to be part of the Land Trust’s ongoing, place-based “Love Where You Live” campaign aimed at fostering a love of the North Olympic Peninsula and responsible land-use decisions, said Alana Linderoth, the land trust’s community engagement specialist.
As a part of the Love Where You Live campaign, it’s hoped the signage will be “an inspiring expression of the area and its natural beauty,” Linderoth said.
Growing up in Ketchikan, Alaska, and Bellingham, Shields has a deeply rooted appreciation for the Pacific Northwest.
“The environment here affects all of us every day, whether you’re on the water, in the forest, planting your garden, or watching the rain … there’s nowhere I would rather be,” he said.
Via layered wood, Shields’s design integrates the land trust’s conservation themes of farms, fish and forests — each arranged to reflect how one landscape affects the other.
Although experienced in woodwork, this is the biggest project Shields has attempted.
“Nathan’s concept is straight forward and accessible to the general public,” said Jan Dove, jurist and professional artist. “The colors he chose blend with the building and the shapes are complementary to the given space. It’s also easily readable from afar.”
The wood for the sign was provided by Lumber Traders, Inc., the parent company of employee-owned Angeles Millwork & Lumber Company and Hartnagel Building Supply, at a reduced cost.
The collaboration between the Land Trust and Arts Center is unusual given the differences of their missions, but the organizations used their unique strengths to provide an opportunity for the local art community that otherwise wouldn’t have been possible, Linderoth said.
“Port Angeles Fine Arts Center is excited to work with local artists in connecting them with a wide variety of opportunities, and our partnership with the North Olympic Land Trust is a great example of how we can do that,” said Jessica Elliott, Fine Arts Center executive director.
“We want our community to feel connected to the art and have ownership of it. Including local art in our city is one way to make that happen.”
North Olympic Land Trust is dedicated to the conservation of open spaces, local food, local resources, healthy watersheds and recreational opportunities. Its mission is conserve lands that sustain the social, ecological and economic vitality of Clallam County. Learn more at www.northolympiclandtrust.org.
The Port Angeles Fine Arts Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the legacy of Esther Webster by connecting people to the arts. The arts center presents the arts in all forms in a unique environmental setting. Learn more at www.pafac.org.
Port Angeles artist Nathan Shields will create the signage on the North Olympic Land Trust building.
