Welcome to the story of the Rio Grand ARTch. 
This story really began two or so years ago and if I lay this out just how Id like to, this story will carry on for years to come. There will be hundreds of tributary stories and a broad cast of characters. Since the twists and turns are well established as essential to its nature, it will be quite a ride.  I hope very much that tragedy will not strike this story.  There is love in this story. 

One day Amy Kimberley said to me, “I want you to build a bicycle arch” and I said “yes please”.  Years passed and many wonderful things were made and a Creative District was born and I was included in the development of our own and the colorado collective of districts. And then one day some time in late 16 or early 17 Amy said, “Its go time. The Rio Grand Artway is happening, I have 10 grand, show me some drawings.”

Well, I hemmed and I hawed and I measured and I dreamed and I almost settled and then it occurred to me that it would be the wrong choice to do this alone.  And we need more money.  For a while Amy kept pushing back, “Design me something that can be built for 10 grand” I tried but it just kept getting bigger and bigger and more exciting. I think it was Stuart Edgerly who helped her to see clearly that $10,000 was not enough by a long shot.  Thus descended an Angel of Controversial Provenance with a bag of gold. So I got to work in earnest complicating the matter by striving to fulfill my commitment: to mine the creative community for the arch that we all might make together.  With my leadership.  I mean, she gave it to me.  And this began yet another game of cat and mouse between my ego and my integrity…I believe in a vanishing point where they come together: it is called vision.

I haven’t really done what I said I would do at the second design Charette…I said I would generate 3 drawings based on the many wonderful contributions made by some of my favorite artists in carbondale.  Instead I made an executive decision to choose an obvious path that history, current circumstances and the ringing of a true feeling of yes point me down…the  way that seamed open instead of the one I said I would take which only seamed full of compromise and obstacle. I aim to reach my goal of seeing into being a standing monument to co-creation.  One that feeds and is fed by our creative community for generations to come.  I will get to pass out cash for art from people I admire and honor the commitment and vision of a few key artists.  I intend to involve as many makers as I can and to bring into actualization an experiment in sustainable,  living art.  

Can you dig?  You want more?  Stay tuned as the story unfolds, sometimes I will tell it, sometimes another will.  Please ask questions if you have them, help us see where you want the story to go.  Next I will share the design charette process we undertook and introduce you to Artist number 1: The skeleton. I will close with these thoughts illustrated by Andi Korber at the first Charette:
Art is never finished, just like a community.  We are building it all the time with every interaction, every contribution