Spring is a bustling time of year for artist and teacher Laura Campbell. She’s working on art projects in the public schools as well as finishing her much-anticipated donation to the My Own Two Hands art auction on Saturday, May 12. At Sisters Elementary School, Campbell is implementing and executing her ongoing vision for River Celebration, the art and science installation on the school fence on Highway 20. The project is supported by Studio to School, a five-year grant through the Oregon Community Foundation.

Campbell’s expertise in art education has enriched the community for years. River Celebration is a dynamic example. The installation is teeming with fish, river rocks, and rippling currents, created to teach students about the unique ecological region they live in. Campbell invited community members of all ages to work on the art installation. The end product gives an intriguing first impression on the east side of town. It was a big success, but Campbell isn’t done yet.

Knee-deep in the next phase of the project, Campbell is excited to introduce the Alpine to Desert project. She has been assisting teachers in the public school, working to create images that reflect the landscape and animals that live in Sisters Country. Adults and students volunteered their time helping Campbell cut out hundreds of wooden silhouettes of animals and landscape features to paint.

“The highlight for me is the community aspect,” said Campbell on a short break from working with a middle school art class. “We’ve made sure the kids know they’re a part of a community project where everyone is working together. We have students from the IEE program, the woodshop, and the ninth-graders who are painting as part of their Audubon section. Every student has the opportunity to get involved,” she said.

Hoyt’s Hardware sold Campbell the wood at cost, something she really appreciates. To make the cuts, Campbell used the CNC machine in the high school woodshop. Sisters Folk Festival board chair Kerry Bott helped program the machine, creating a layout that allows Campbell to see how the boards will look before cutting.

Artists and students were offered bird cutouts to paint for the Common Canvas silent auction Friday night, May 11, at Sisters Art Works. Buyers can either take their purchased pieces home or donate them back to the Alpine to Desert installation. The only stipulation for the volunteer artists was that they use products that can withstand Central Oregon weather.

The people-hours that have gone into this effort are impressive. Volunteer Austin Gulick, a high school student, helped Campbell immensely, doing all the tasks she didn’t have time to do.

“There was an eight-foot pile of snow on the wood earlier,” said Campbell. “He dug it all out and carried it inside to be cut into sizes that fit the CNC machine.”

Soon the fence will come alive with sparrows, swallows, redtail hawks, eagles, cougars, and bobcats, as well as rocks, logs, and trees.

“Alpine areas have ground that has more greenery and moisture compared to high desert with its subdued tones of tans, yellows, and browns,” Campbell explained in Judy Fuentes’ fifth-grade art class. “It’s challenging and time-consuming but it’s really fun too,” she added.

The students’ enthusiasm about the Alpine to Desert project keeps Campbell fueled and eager to reveal the final product in time for My Own Two Hands’ two-day celebration.

“The kindergartners were so excited that they were painting the back sides of pieces that high schoolers had worked on,” said Campbell. “They ran into the art room and had to show each other what they’d painted and then explain why they painted it that way.”

Judy Fuentes’ classes used ponderosa pine needles wrapped with tape to create large brushes. Fuentes explained to her fifth-grade class that the pine-needle brushes, drawn through fresh paint, worked well as tools to create a textured look when painting furry animals.

Sisters Folk Festival Creative Director Brad Tisdel knows how important it is for students to appreciate and understand the environment they live in.

“This is a continuation of connecting kids with a sense of place. Our goal with this project is to look at the flora and fauna of the alpine environment to the Central Oregon high desert and to celebrate community through an integrative arts experience.”

Campbell has had quite a few people ask if the new installation will mean the old one has to come down. She assured them the installation is only being expanded.

“They were worried I was going to take down the current installation that they love to look at as they drive through town. They were pleased to know it was going to grow, not go away. I hear from so many people that they feel it reflects well on Sisters and shows us as an artistic town.”

There have been many rewarding aspects of the project for Campbell.

“The biggest thing I’ve noticed,” she said, “is that doing this project for the second time, the kids still remember what to do color-wise.”

She was happy to see that they knew what colors are primary, secondary, and tertiary. They were able to make their own colors because they knew how to combine colors to create new color.

Working with the elementary school-children was a gift for Campbell. She noticed the difference working with the grades that didn’t study art throughout the school year when they were younger.

“They don’t have the education and don’t know the same things the younger students already understand. The younger kids know the terminology and how to put their knowledge into practice. I loved seeing that they knew how to use a paintbrush properly and not destroy it.”

Having grown up in Sisters and attended the public schools, Campbell is grateful for the opportunity to inspire and encourage a new generation of artists. Over spring break she planned to cut out more pieces for a new project. Jewell Elementary School in Bend has hired her to help them do a similar fence.

“They saw the fence and contacted me to do one for them,” she shared, smiling.

Juggling so many projects may keep Campbell busy, but she’s never been one to shy away from the challenge of sharing her love for the arts.