This gem within our community dazzled League members on the July 10th field trip to the Cascadia Art Museum! Phyllis Busch, our tour guide, enriched over a dozen of us on the history and details of the watercolors of Z. Vanessa Helder whose works documented the building of the Grand Coulee Dam, 1939-1941. Well known during her own time, her works went on to be exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 1943, as one of the “Realists and Magic Realists” showing.
Phyllis provided insights drawn from several of the key paintings. Even before construction, massive numbers of rocks and boulders were removed. The final project, on which 77 men died, consists of 12 million tons of concrete. Grand Coulee Dam remains the largest concrete structure and largest producer of hydropower in the United States. While the diverted Columbia River provided a fresh water source to increase farming in Eastern Washington, one important aspect of the river was overlooked. This was a major spawning route for returning salmon and the dam without a fish ladder blocked access. This had a devastating impact on the culture of the Colville Confederated Tribes and persists as a point of great controversy.
Savoring the rich history and information about the gallery itself, some of the group remained to view the other two galleries. This gallery focuses on Northwest artists and particularly enjoys promoting its women artists. Volunteers, like Phyllis, give guided tours each Saturday, and David Martin, the curator, does so once a month with even more insider information! The majority of the tour participants reconvened at Anthony’s for lunch and more lively discussion about this amazing local opportunity!