As acronyms for single-issue organizations go, ROAR — that would be Rags Over the Arkansas River — is pretty good. In case the “rags” part doesn’t make it clear, the group is opposed to the execution of the work that environmental artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude intend to erect over a 40-mile section of the Arkansas in south-central Colorado. The piece will comprise more than 900 permeable, translucent panels of silver fabric suspended above the water in eight sites between Canyon City and Salida. The artists intend to display “Over the River” — pending approval of the various permits they’re already years into the process of seeking — for two weeks in the summer of 2012.
By then, Christo and Jeanne-Claude will have spent two decades working to bring their latest feat of artistry and engineering to fruition. A new touring show, kicking off its run at the Phillips Collection, shows us just how costly, time-consuming, and complex the “how” is. The “why” you must supply for yourself.
Born on the same day in 1935, the husband-and-wife duo have been collaborating for nearly 50 years. They are famous, perhaps somewhat paradoxically, for cutting through red tape to get permission to wrap things in fabric. Big things: Bern, Switzerland’s Kunsthalle (in1968), Paris’s Pont Neuf (1985), and Berlin’s Reichstag (1995), among others. The most recent large-scale work they completed was “The Gates,” a series of 7,503 saffron-colored fabric panels installed in Central Park in 2005. As with four of Chriso and Jeanne-Claude’s prior works, “The Gates” was the eponymous subject of a fine documentary film by Albert and David Maysles. Anyone inclined to condemn Christo and Jeanne-Claude’s work as frivolous or nonsensical should see that movie first.
But back to Colorado: From the hue and cry that’s arisen in protest of their latest project — ROAR is citing environmental damage, litter, and traffic congestion as likely outcomes — you’d think the artists were trying to open a Wal-Mart or something. (In fact, there are already Wal-Marts in both Salida and Canyon City, right on U.S. Route 50, which runs parallel to the Arkansas.) Chriso and Jeanne-Claude, who note they never accept sponsorship for their projects, have commissioned an environmental impact study at their own expense.
Indeed, they finance every aspect their projects themselves, in part by selling their art from the 1950s and 1960s. Christo was into wrapping stuff even back then, but it was mostly smaller stuff, like furniture or oil barrels. They also sell their planning drawings. The Phillips show includes many samples of these (not for sale), along with preparatory photographs and samples of the cables and fabric that will be used in “Over the River.” The project’s estimated price tag is $40 million, which presumably translates to a lot of artwork and drawings changing hands.
The pair visited 89 rivers in seven states over a period of three years before selecting the Arkansas for both aesthetic and practical reasons: In addition to its beauty, the river has high banks that would allow the installation of steel cables to support the fabric panels, and is accessible by railroad to the many laborers who will erect the work. The Arkansas’s proximity to U.S. Route 50 and its popularity among river-rafters will, the creators hope, allow visitors to see “Over the River” easily. But for at least the next four years, the Phillips Collection offers you the best look you’re likely to get.
If you go
“Christo and Jeanne-Claude: Over the River, a Work in Progress”
When: Through January 25, 2009
Where: The Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW
Admssion: $12 / $10 students and seniors 62+ / Free for 18 and under and museum members
More information: (202) 387-2151; www.phillipscollection.org
