Lines of text for Orange Lining have been obtained by public solicitation. The call for submissions requested that writings be original and evoke places, people, and travels along the new light rail alignment. Submissions were to be fifty characters or less in length, including spaces and should not have include punctuation. Some submissions did have punctuation before we made it clear that our stencil and stamps sets didn’t include punctuation. (We have since obtained commas and apostrophes to make that work.)
A selection group including Buster Simpson, Peg Butler and volunteer literary professionals; David Abel, David Oates and Lisa Radon reviewed and selected writings in a blind juried process. The PMLR Public Art Advisory Committee reviewed the final selections. Below are the final selections.
Lines in orange have been printed on silt fencing. Lines not in orange, will be stamped only. All of the lines listed below will be stamped in concrete along the alignment during phase 2, some lines will be placed in multiple locations. We have 103 lines and 120 locations to be stamped.
| 1 | FRESH OUT OF THE TUNNEL LIGHT IS MILK AND HOLY WATER | Amber T May |
| 2 | AWAKE A THROB OF CRICKETS IT TAKES THE WEIGHT OF YOU | Amy MacLennan |
| 3 | EVEN NOW THE HEART IS FLOWERING A WILD PATIENCE | Amy Schutzer |
| 4 | EVERY DAY WE END UP POLISHED FROM A ROUGHER STONE | Amy Schutzer |
| 5 | FENCE IS SIMPLE DIVISION INSISTENT AS SYLLABLES | Amy Schutzer |
| 6 | USE PINK SKY TO IRON WATER | Amy Schutzer |
| 7 | DID YOU REMEMBER TO BRING YOURSELF ALONG | Anatoly Molotkov |
| 8 | CLASS B CDL WITH P SAYS OK TO LRV TO SE PDX | Andrew Quadri |
| 9 | A RIVER, BLURRED IN THE DISTANCE | Anne Elizabeth Shaw |
| 10 | HER FACE AS SHE TURNS FROM THE WINDOW | Anne Elizabeth Shaw |
| 11 | LET THERE BE A NARROW MARGIN EMERGENT IN THE SAND | Anne Elizabeth Shaw |
| 12 | A BRIDGE CHANGES SYSTEMS | Annika Wang |
| 13 | CROSS THE FREIGHT TRACKS LATTICE OF STEEL & LIGHT | Ayelet Amittay |
| 14 | DUSKY WAREHOUSES EYES SHUT BACKS TO THE RIVER | Ayelet Amittay |
| 15 | FREIGHT CARS CHUFFING ON THE LADDERED LANES | Ayelet Amittay |
| 16 | STEEL CABLES SOLDER THE SKY TO STAINED GLASS | Ayelet Amittay |
| 17 | THE OLD TREES SWEEP OUR WAY POUR OVER THE ASPHALT | Ayelet Amittay |
| 18 | WE WERE SHORTWAVE WE WERE WHAT ROVES | B.T. Shaw |
| 19 | SWOLLEN SWIRLING EDDIES CLAIM UNMOORED THOUGHTS | Becca Biggs |
| 20 | BLACKBIRD’S RED SHOWS ONLY ON OPENED WINGS | Brigitte Goetze |
| 21 | ILLUMINATED WE FLOAT LIKE FINGERPRINTS ON GLASS | Brigitte Goetze |
| 23 | HONED IN MIND, WORN BY THE SOLE (stamp only) | Buster Simpson |
| 22 | IMPRESSED (Date of Stamping will be added, stamp only) | Buster Simpson |
| 24 | ORANGE SILT FENCE CARBON BLACK BARRIER | Buster Simpson |
| 25 | A RIVER OF STRIPED STEEL, OF ROLLING GLASS | Carol Weliky |
| 26 | BLOOMING IN THE VALLEY, MY LITTLE DARK ROSE | Casey Neill |
| 27 | EVERY DIRECTION LEADS US BACK AGAIN | Casey Neill |
| 28 | PULLING THOUGHTS OVER HOLLOWS WALKING TO THE RIVER | Charles F. Thielman |
| 29 | RIVER’S EBB INSCRIBED ON BRIDGE LEGS | Charles F. Thielman |
| 30 | CLACKAMAS TO MULTNOMAH SHE STILL WATCHES OVER YOU | Cindy Williams Gutierrez |
| 31 | FAINTEST ECHOES, THEIR WORDS WALKED HERE | David Abel |
| 32 | NATURE, PART II | David Abel |
| 33 | TO READ THE TRACKS TO NEED TO KNOW | David Abel |
| 34 | SET YOUR BAGS DOWN FOR A FEW NIGHTS | David Biespiel |
| 35 | TOE POEM ARTISANAL TARSAL FARCE (stamp only) | David Oates |
| 36 | WHAT WE LOVE WILL SAVE US (2) | David Oates |
| 37 | EARTH AND SKY PRESS US LIKE LETTERS TO EACH OTHER | Dinae E Horne |
| 38 | I IMAGINE YOU AND HOW I BRUSHED BY YOU WITH WORDS | Elisabeth Tschalaer |
| 39 | WE ARRIVE TOGETHER (2) |
Elisabeth Tschalaer |
| 40 | CARRY THESE WORDS LIKE FOLD UP CHAIRS ACROSS TIME | Frances Payne Adler |
| 41 | FAMILY TIES LACED IN OUR NEIGHBORS’ SHOES | Garret Potter |
| 42 | MUTUALLY WOVEN INTO ANOTHER’S CONSIDERATION | Garret Potter |
| 43 | I SEE MOONLIGHT RUSHING ON THIN RIVERS OF STEEL | Gillian Zacharias |
| 44 | INTO THE LILT SONG INTO THE FLASHES OF RED | Gregory Chaimov |
| 45 | STEEL ON STEEL RACING TO CATCH THE MELODY | Gregory Chaimov |
| 46 | THE RUT A THOUSAND HOOVES HAVE CUT | Gregory Chaimov |
| 47 | A TREE IS MY UMBRELLA | Helen Nighthawk |
| 48 | KNIT THE CITY BONES RIDE THE VEINS | J. Graham Murtaugh |
| 49 | POETRY IS THE SOUL’S EROSION CONTROL | J. Graham Murtaugh |
| 50 | DAY TRAIL NIGHT VEIL LIGHT RAIL | Jana Zvibleman |
| 51 | EVERY RUIN IS A THING WE HAVE MADE | Jason Mashak |
| 52 | LEFT ALL I KNEW IN HINDSIGHT LONG FROM HOME | Jessica Samuelsen |
| 53 | COASTING OUR BOUNDARIES WE FOREVER RIDE THE LINE | Jordan brown |
| 54 | A HOST OF OAKS TILTING TOWARD RECOGNITION | Jules Boykoff |
| 55 | SHE SNAPPED PHOTOS OF THINGS I COULDN’T SEE | Jules Boykoff |
| 56 | THE RUFFLE OF A SCRUB JAY’S WINGS ON LANDING | Jules Boykoff |
| 57 | ATOP AN OPULENCE OF STICKS OSPREYS SPY THE RIVER | Kaia Sand |
| 58 | LOST IN THOUGHT, A JOLT A BUMP, A SMILE | Kathleen Detaeye |
| 59 | TWITTER CHERRY BLOSSOMS FACEBOOK RAINDROPS | Kunal Mehra |
| 60 | WOULD YOU LIKE SOME TEA WITH YOUR RAIN | Kunal Mehra |
| 61 | SO MANY HEARTS WHERE MY HEART NOW RIDES | Lana Hechtman Ayers |
| 62 | CRAWLING IN DUST HOW HEAVY THESE FEET OF CLOUDS | Laura Winter |
| 63 | ON THE ORANGE LINE ONE BLUE UMBRELLA LEFT BEHIND | M |
| 64 | ON TRAINS WE STAND SHOULDER TO SHOULDER | M |
| 65 | COSMOPOLIS STRETCHES OUT AN ARM | Magdalen Powers |
| 66 | BEHIND THE VEIL OF MORNING FOG MOUNT HOOD (2) |
Margaret Chula |
| 67 | NEAR REED I SAW LONG AGO A POND WITH WHITE GEESE | Margaret Krausse |
| 68 | OCHER AND BLUE OUR SHADOWS SWIM THROUGH EACH OTHER | Margaret Thomas |
| 69 | THE STORY BEGINS AT THE CORNER | Martha Sandstead |
| 70 | BARN SWALLOWS FLYING TILT RHYTHM QUICK AND DIVING | Melanie Green |
| 71 | THE SUN RETURNING THE SKY TO US | Melanie Green |
| 72 | A SEED BLOWN THERE BY ACCIDENT | Micki Selvitella |
| 73 | YOU ARE THE ELEMENT OF SURPRISE | Micki Selvitella |
| 74 | I LEARNED ABOUT FAITH FROM THE BEND OF THE RIVER | Mike Aspros |
| 75 | MY STONE SKIN CHIPS AWAY AS HERONS BREEZE OVERHEAD | Mike Aspros |
| 76 | STONES STAND STEADY TO DULL THE BULLDOZER’S BLADE | Mike Aspros |
| 77 | WHEN THE COYOTES CRY YOU’LL HEAR THE CHINOOK WIND | Mike Aspros |
| 78 | INSERT TRAVELERS PROVERB HERE | Olivia Blacklock |
| 79 | JOURNEYS GIVE US NEW EYES TO SEE OUR WORLD ANEW | Paulann Petersen |
| 80 | PRIMERO Y PARA SIEMPRE EL ESPIRITU DEL CAMINO (2) |
Pedro Ferbel-Azcarate |
| 81 | THE SUBTLE BUILDING OF A SMILE | Peg Butler |
| 82 | CHOREOGRAPHY OF PLACE, LYRICAL ALIGNMENT | Peg Butler |
| 83 | CIVILITY UNSPOKEN AS EACH STEP CONSIDERS THE OTHER | Peg Butler |
| 84 | EYE CATCHING, A GAME OF SMALL SALUTES | Peg Butler |
| 85 | GRAPEVINE RIGHT GRAPEVINE LEFT BACKWARD WALKS | Peg Butler |
| 86 | KICK KICK TRIPLE STEP ACROSS POINT | Peg Butler |
| 87 | OLD STONES GOOD CITY BONES | Peg Butler |
| 88 | SHE KNEW SHE WOULD GET THERE IN TIME | Peg Butler |
| 89 | PEOPLE PULLER WHISPERS ALONG | Quake Tornieri |
| 90 | WHERE ARE WE GOING TOGETHER | Sandy Sampson |
| 91 | WILLAMETTE RIVER WHITTLED BY RIPRAP AND WAPATO | Sara J. Call |
| 92 | IN DAYDREAMS WHICH STRANGERS BECOME FRIENDS | Scot Siegel |
| 93 | SOME HAVE EVOLVED TO COMMUTE UPRIGHT SMILING | Scot Siegel |
| 94 | EVERYONE IS A LITTLE MORE FAMOUS ON A TRAIN | Scot Siegel |
| 95 | HERE JURIES OF MOSS AND LICHEN REST IN THE TREES | Scot Siegel |
| 96 | IN SPRINGTIME EVERYONE SECRETLY LOVES YOU | Scot Siegel |
| 97 | UNDER A ZIPPER OF BRIDGES OUR GREEN CITY THRUMS (3) | Scot Siegel |
| 98 | A HIGH WATER MARK STILL RINGS THESE TREES | Tiel Aisha Ansari |
| 99 | I SING THE ELECTRIC LINES CHARGED FULL WITH SOULS | Tiel Aisha Ansari |
| 100 | PASS CAREFULLY BY LADD’S SPIDERWEB OF STREETS | Tiel Aisha Ansari |
| 101 | THE COUNTY LINE IS NOT MARKED ON THE EARTH | Tiel Aisha Ansari |
| 102 | WE SLED DOWN THE BIG HILL TO DOVE STREET | Tina Buettell |
| 103 | DOWNTOWN PORTLAND FACES SKETCHED FAST | Wendy Moidel |
The submission process has closed.
CALLING ALL WORDSMITHS — WRITE A LINE FOR THE LINE!
SHORT POETIC LINES WANTED FOR NEW TRIMET MAX LINE PUBLIC ART PROJECT!
Construction has begun on TriMet’s Portland – Milwaukie Light Rail Transit Project (PMLR), scheduled to begin service in 2015. Running 7.3 miles from Portland State University to Oak Grove, the future MAX Orange Line will connect downtown and inner Southeast Portland to Milwaukie and Clackamas County.
Project artist Buster Simpson and collaborator Peg Butler invite the public to submit original, short poetic lines of text for Orange Lining, a two phase public art installation to span the length of the light rail alignment.
In phase one, orange silt fencing, a common erosion control material, is assigned a dual function and becomes a surface for publication of selected lines during construction of the transit project. In the second phase, lines of text are stamped into concrete where new sidewalks are installed, embedding sentiments of the times along the alignment. In both phases, the project utilizes typical construction materials and works with the tradespeople who are building the light rail transit project.
All those with a connection to the region are invited to submit lines of text. Submissions must be original and should evoke places, people, and travels along the new light rail alignment. They must be 50 characters or less in length, including spaces and should not include punctuation or symbols. Distilling a message of civic relevance to this level of brevity is your challenge!
Submissions will be reviewed through a blind juried process by a selection group consisting of Buster Simpson, Peg Butler and volunteer literary professionals; David Abel, David Oates and Lisa Radon. Selected lines will be submitted to the PMLR Public Art Advisory Committee for final review.
Multiple submissions may be included in each entry. Please include your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number (or other contact information). By submitting your lines for consideration, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of the project.
PROJECT SCHEDULE
- March 15th, 2012 – Requests for Submissions distributed.
- Wednesday, May 2nd is the last day to submit lines for inclusion in this first phase of the selection process. After that we will be accepting lines in an ongoing basis throughout the Orange Lining process. There will be more information on the ongoing submission process available soon The chances for your lines to be selected will be best if they are submitted by the end of day on May 2nd.
- Submission review will be ongoing through May 18th, 2012. Selected lines will be published on this website after final review by PMLR Public Art Advisory Committee.
- Art Starts Now printing will take place predominantly May through July, 2012. Installation will be ongoing throughout PMLR Transit Project construction.
- Impressed Concrete stampings will begin in July 2012 and continue through completion of PMLR Transit Project.
Orange Lining Request for Submissions, printable version.