"I'm an artist who makes quilts, but I also do public art, an extension of the quilts. Both quilting and public art mean working toward a place of lifting the spirit and feeling good, a place of inspiration where beauty brings peace and feeds the soul."
Adriene Cruz
at a Starbucks coffee house in Portland.
The North Killingsworth Street MAX StationInterstate Avenue at N. Kilingsworth
Portland, Oregon's public transit system, the MAX, is beautifying its stations through the designs of a variety of public artists. The North Killingsworth Street Station, which opened May 1, 2004, was developed through a mentorship between Adriene Cruz and design team artist, Valerie Otani. See photos of the station here.
Note: The "Cultural Polyrhythms" Poster of the N. Killingsworth St Station by painter Eric Bowman shown here is part of TRI-MET'S 2004 Poster Collection. To purchase it, visit their online store.
The Northeast Health Center
5329 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
The building's vibrant color scheme cannot be missed by passersby and building users. She believes
that colors have a magical way of transforming space, and the right combination
will positively impact the community. She used colors and patterns found in her quilts,
as well as African Adinkra symbols as design elements.
Assisting Adriene with the project were Calvert Johnny and two youths from the community,
Jamaan Profit and Jose Reyes.
Billboard
Location: NW 13th Avenue
This project arose out of a hands-on workshop Adriene taught at Inside Out, an outreach program for Portland's homeless
and addicted youth. The design was both inspired by and designed to inspire these
young people, whose plight touched her deeply. The message was drawn from
the writings of James Baldwin and
Isabel Hickey.
CONTACT INFORMATION: Adriene may be reached by email.
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