Christo's Colorado Project - Over the River

[Edward]

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Rocky Mountain News
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Christo's 1992 rendering of his project shows how he would cover a 7-mile stretch of the Arkansas River between Coaldale and Parkdale.

Colorado Christo project on rebound

By Mary Voelz Chandler, Rocky Mountain News
July 1, 2005

Christo and Jeanne-Claude, who in February blazed their way through New York's Central Park with the saffron-colored The Gates, will meet Aug. 2 in Cañon City with officials to put their Over the River project back on track in Colorado.

The piece, first proposed in 1992, would cover a 7-mile stretch of the Arkansas River between Coaldale and Parkdale with billowing white fabric. River landed on a back burner in 2003 as the New York-based artists pursued The Gates .

"We'll bring the project up to date," said Roy Masinton, Royal Gorge Field Office Manager of the Bureau of Land Management, on Thursday from Cañon City.

"A fair amount was put on hold," he said, while the artists concentrated on The Gates. The meeting involves the BLM and state parks officials, just two of numerous federal, state and local agencies that must sign off on River. Masinton estimated 2009 as the earliest the project could be installed, considering the legal requirements and the artists' need to test fabric and other technology. No cost estimate has been made.

The first step is completing an environmental assessment, which must address everything from traffic flow to wildlife protection.

The artists also will speak about their works in a program at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 1 at the Steam Plant arts center in Salida. The couple has donated more than two dozen photographs of past works that will be sold to benefit the center. Copyright 2005, Rocky Mountain News. All Rights Reserved.