 Gresham City Councilor, David Widmark, GOPA Board member Joan Albertson, and artist Rip Caswell unveil Slider in 2017. Click to enlarge |
By Charlotte Becker About eight years ago, Joan Albertson, a member of Gresham Outdoor Public Art’s (GOPA) board, brought the idea of art in Nadaka Nature Park to the board. GOPA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an all volunteer board. The group’s goal is to commission and install permanent art in Gresham’s public spaces. Most of the permanent art, up until 2016, was in and around Historic Downtown, so Joan’s idea got wings…as well as fur and a tail. |
But first, a group from GOPA, along with Wilkes neighborhood champion Lee Dayfield, met at Nadaka to see what might be a good fit for the park. A path of rocks resembling a meandering stream bed seemed like home for some kind of water-loving creature. And a nearby towering timber could be the perfect perch for a squawking bird. Board member, David Baumann, said he had something at home that the group might like.
A few days later, the group got together again at Nadaka to see David wheeling in a bronze otter on a hand truck! It was created by Troutdale artist Rip Caswell, and it was perfect. Then the project really got off the ground, when we met with Rip and his son, Chad, who agreed to create a life-sized Raven to perch atop the timber.
The otter and the raven were installed in the park in 2017 with help from the City of Gresham. Neighborhood families came to see the unveiling, and children entered a contest to name the creatures. That’s how the otter became “Slider” and the raven became “Seeker”. Nadaka was to be their permanent home.
Until 2024, when Slider disappeared. It seemed someone needed him more than the neighborhood did. The word went out with the hope that Slider would be returned, but not even Seeker could find him. Not giving up, GOPA President, Judy Han, met with a representative from the City to discuss how to replace Slider. Rip Caswell told GOPA he had created an additional otter, the last of his kind, and would offer it to GOPA at cost. Once again, the pieces came together to bring Slider back to Nadaka.
GOPA and the City of Gresham plan to return Slider to his meandering stream in June, 2025. We’ll provide more information on the date as it is known. Visit Gresham Outdoor Public Art’s website, www.greshamoutdoorpublicart.com, to learn more about GOPA, the project at Nadaka and other projects in Gresham.
