WACA fundraising for Reflection Plaza sculpture

The Washougal Arts and Culture Alliance (WACA) is raising awareness and fundraising for its latest art installation, a sculpture at Reflection Plaza. WACA President Molly Coston, a Washougal City Council member, presented a project update to the Council on Nov. 4. “I’m not really asking all of you guys to donate, although it’d be wonderful if you could,” she said, “but I really want you to understand the scope of this project and have some enthusiasm for it and talk to people about it. I think this is going to be an iconic piece, really stunning.” In July, WACA and the city of Washougal Arts Commission selected Sharon Agnor’s Two Rivers Heritage Sculpture to be installed onto the campanile — an Italian-style, freestanding brick tower — in September 2025. “This is going to be an image that people think of when they think of Washougal,” Washougal City Councilor David Fritz said during a July 22 workshop. “I think this is really important.” Agnor’s artwork includes depictions of major events in Washougal history. Agnor, of Vancouver, and arts alliance leaders selected the events after consulting with Two Rivers Heritage Museum volunteers. The sculpture, made of metal and glass, will wrap around the four sides of the campanile, depicting the flow of the Columbia and Washougal rivers, whose “rushing water” inspired the Cascade Chinookan name “Washuxwal,” which over time evolved into “Washougal.” “It’s called the Two Rivers project because it’s going to be about the Washougal River and the Columbia River and the merging of them,” Coston said. “Water is a very dominant theme. Also, steel pieces will be etched with thorough defining topics of our history in the local area, starting with the native tribes.” Coston said the campanile will become “one of the defining pieces of our community,” “The campanile is looking pretty dingy right now. We’ll transform it into something that’s very vibrant and will become a centerpiece in our town,” she said. “We know that this will bring more traffic to downtown and provide an iconic, defining feature and a modern sculpture. This sort of transcends art. It’s about history, education, art and community. We’re really excited about this project. “(Agnor said), ‘Whenever a piece of public art goes into a town, it starts a conversation with the community. People show up and look at it. They discuss it, they talk about it, they share ideas, and that’s what connects us together,’” she continued. “I think this is going to be one of those pieces that will really connect us together.” The project will cost between $80,000 to $83,000, according to Coston, who added that WACA’s fundraising efforts have yielded about $35,000 so far. “We’re just in the beginning phases of fundraising — we started in September — and we are already almost halfway (there),” she said. “When we first started talking about this, I did not really think we could raise that amount of money, but I believe by the end of the year, we’ll have it for sure, and we can start this project.” Three organizations — the Kind Heart Free Spirit Foundation, the Brougton and Mary Bishop Foundation, and the city of Washougal’s arts commission — have donated $10,000 or more to the project. “We’ve had some sizable donations, and we do have a big grant that we have applied for that we expect to hear within the next two or three weeks if we have anything from that,” Coston said. “I do have, like, three meetings next week and the week after that with some officials in Vancouver and Portland to talk about this project and get their investment in this as well as a couple others. But we really want the community to buy into this at whatever level they feel comfortable to be a part of it.” Port of Camas-Washougal commissioner Larry Keister proposed during the Port’s Nov. 6 commissioner meeting that the agency give $1,000 to the project. The Port annually places $5,000 into an “art fund” to use on local art projects. “We’re part of the community, and we’re supporting our community,” Keister said. “Art in our community has been important to us, and we’ve been involved with placing art in our community one way or another. Let’s actually get seriously involved.” Derek Jaeger, the Port’s business development director, agreed. “It seems that the art (is featuring) activities within the area, along the river, things within the region that occurred historically,” he said. “I think the Port ties in with that nicely, being a part of the activity here on the water in the region.” The campanile is a symbol of Washougal’s original 1882 town well and pump, at the intersection of Main Street and Pendleton Way. In 1991, Washougal created a town square with a gazebo, a water fountain, and a wooden platform stage at the intersection. In 2005, the city gave the town square a modern redesign and a name change to Reflection Plaza. “The campanile was the original site of the town pump, which was a gathering place early in the 1800s and will be a new gathering place,” Coston said. To donate, visit washoug alarts.org/donate.

Related Stories