The Painted Pipes of Fairbanks

Marilyn Monroe painted pipe, Fairbanks, Alaska

Marilyn with Bunny Boots, David Hayden.

Noble Street and 2nd Avenue

These ventilation pipes provide fresh air intake for utilidors (utility corridor) that run under the streets of downtown Fairbanks. Thirteen of these pipes have been artistically painted by local artists for Paint the Pipes which is a joint project of the Downtown Association of Fairbanks and Project Fairbanks.

Sadly, the original Marilyn pipe was vandalized in May 2018. Marilyn Pipes Up was sprayed with green paint. The culprit/culprits were never caught. The artist had spent 40 hours to paint the pipe in 2012 only to see it trashed a few years later. But he repainted Marilyn (with the help of sponsors) and added something new - the bunny boots!

Lingonberry Love, Gail Priday.

Griffin Park towards Chena River.

Priday loves picking lingonberries. And what better way to show this love for the fruit than to render it in color on this pipe.

Fairbanks painted pipes, Fairbanks, Alaska

Fairbanks, Mica Fairchild.

5th Avenue between Cushman and Barnette Streets

These vent pipes represent everything that is special about Fairbanks. It is the Golden Heart City.

World of Winter, Sarah DeGennaro

First Avenue and Lacey Street

DeGennaro wants the viewer to enjoy the “intricacy of snow crystals at monumental scale and detail”.

Up Stream, Kate Wood

2nd Avenue across from Key Bank

Wood paints the quintessential Alaskan salmon swimming upstream.

Downtown Shoppers, Laura Nutter

Barnette Street

What happens when the fox, the moose and the raven get together? The party of parties begins!

Fireweed. Nikki Kinne

2nd Avenue

For the artist, fireweed is the essence of Alaska. She chose to paint the fireweed in summer to remind her and us that “dark and cold” will pass.

Under the Midnight Sun. Junior Roller Girlz

3rd Avenue and S. Turner Street

Alaska experiences as much as 22 hours of sunlight from mid April to August which is why it is called the Land of the Midnight Sun.

Pet Dreams. Karen Austen. 2013

Cushman Street

The artist portrays the dreams of a dog and a cat with the northern lights in the background.

Spirit Dance. Lucas Elliott.

2nd Avenue and S. Turner Street

Elliott paints a girl with her dog dancing under Aurora skies.

Interior Alaskan Images, Dan Kennedy

Lacey and 3rd Street

Kennedy depicts the flora and fauna of Interior Alaska. Notice the bear, moose kingfisher, eagle, the snow covered mountains and the northern lights above.

Dreaming, Mica Hendricks

Lacey and 4th Avenue

Dreaming represents the dreams and imaginations of children.

Musk Ox, Iris Sutton

Excessive hunting eradicated the muskoxen population in Alaska in the late 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. The good news is they were reintroduced to Nunivak Island in 1935 and are now thriving there and in other parts of the last frontier. Iris Sutton says her paintings “explore Alaska’s wildlife and landscape with vibrant and bold color and contrast”. She uses color to give an animal personality and emotion according to her website, icewedgeart.wordpress.com.

What’s nice about searching for these pipes is that they are all in the downtown area and within walking distance from each other. I had fun discovering all of them.

Check out this post for more sightseeing options in Fairbanks: https://www.travelswithcharie.com/2021/09/fairbanks-golden-heart-city.html

Stay connected

*****

Images by TravelswithCharie

Brașov was once called Stalin City

White Tower Brașov is a city nestled in the Carpathian Mountains in Transylvania. Remnants of its medieval fortifications and bastions are added attractions to this buzzing city. The White Tower along with the Black Tower are two of the remaining watchtowers still visible today. During the Communist period, Brașov was called Orasul Stalin or Stalin City after the Soviet leader, Joseph Stalin. Black Church This is such a storied Gothic church which was originally the Catholic Church of St. Mary before it was converted to a Lutheran Church. It was believed to have been affected by fire in 1689 which blackened its exterior walls and roof. But a new 21st century study reveals that this wasn’t the case at all. The only reason for its blackened state according to the study is environmental pollution caused by the industrialization of Brasov in the 19th century. The walls have since been cleaned but there are traces of black spots on the roof. Republicii Street This long pede...

The Gold of Ancestors: Pre-Colonial Philippine Treasures

Openwork basket, Surigao, 10th-13th century What a wonderful surprise this exhibition is! These gold objects, about a thousand of them, add a rich layer to Philippine history. This collection which was found in various sites in the Philippines, date back to the 10th-13th centuries. It demonstrates the well developed culture of pre colonial Philippines which the Spaniard, Antonio Pigafetta, recorded in 1521 when Ferdinand Magellan landed in the islands. A thriving interchange between the Philippines and its Asian neighbors existed prior to the arrival of Magellan as attested by some of these gold accouterments which show for example, images from Hindu mythology. The motifs and curvilinear ornamentation of the openwork basket (shown above) intimate Chinese designs found in their ceramics and textiles. Torso ornament, 10th-13th century Weighing four kilos of gold, this sash is worn across the chest similar to the upavita (sacred thread) style in Hindu culture. This sash w...

The Art of Carlos Botong Francisco - Progress of Medicine in the Philippines

Pre-colonial period Pag-unlad ng Panggagamot sa Pilipinas (The Progress of Medicine in the Philippines) is a group of four large-scale paintings depicting healing practices in the Philippines from pre-colonial times to the modern period. Carlos Botong Francisco was commissioned in 1953 by Dr. Agerico Sison who was then the director of Philippine General Hospital (PGH) together with Dr. Eduardo Quisumbing of the National Museum, Dr. Florentino Herrera, Jr. and Dr. Constantino Manahan. These oil on canvas paintings measure 2.92 meters in height and 2.76 meters in width (9.71 ft x 8.92 ft) and were displayed at the main entrance hall of PGH for over five decades. Owing to its location, the artworks were in a state of "severe deterioration" at the beginning of the 21st century from exposure to heat, humidity, dirt, dust, smoke, insect stains, grime, termites and an oxidized synthetic resin used in an earlier restoration. These canvases were restored three times, the last was...

TravelswithCharie

Search This Blog