By Darcy Ellis
Editor

7-17-2008

Despite some logistical headaches  – including those entailed in transporting 50, 40- to 80-lb. fiberglass trout sculptures up and down U.S. 395 – the Eastern Sierra’s first public arts project to promote regional tourism is so far going just swimmingly.
Buoyed by what lead organizer and Mono Council for the Arts Executive Director Gaye Mueller calls tremendous community support, the locally unprecedented Trail of the Trout undertaking is reeling in both renewed interest in the arts and funds for Eastern Sierra fishing programs.
As part of their junket across the Eastern Sierra, the storied trout making up the 150-mile trail from Lone Pine to Bridgeport will be surfacing at an unveiling party tomorrow in Bishop at Inyo Council for the Arts.
According to Mueller, the event will mark the first and possibly only time most residents will be able to snag an up-close look at the works of art, many of which will be auctioned off in October and become part of private collections.

The party, taking place from 5-9 p.m., includes an opportunity to meet some of the artists, as well as enjoy appetizers (smoked trout is on the menu, natch) and a no-host bar. Admission is free.
The absolute last chance to soak up the sight of all 50 sculptures together will be Saturday at a similar event from 5-9 p.m. at the Minaret Village Shopping Center in Mammoth Lakes.
After that, Mueller said, “the sculptures will be clear-coated and then they’ll be swimming off to their summer homes.”

The trout sculpture created by Swall Meadows resident Cheyenne McAfee for the Trail of the Trout project makes a stunning contrast against the Sierra. This sculpture and about 49 others will be on display at Inyo Council for the Arts tomorrow before they “swim off to their summer homes.” Photo courtesy Gaye Mueller

Those homes range from visitors centers and chambers of commerce to retail outlets and lodging establishments to government buildings and offices.
Each location has paid a significant price for the privilege of hosting one of the sculptures this summer – $2,000 for an eight-foot sculpture and $500 for a two-foot piece.
But in return for the sponsorship, locations get the temporary right to a high-end work of art, essentially free advertising and the choice to purchase the sculpture outright (for a total of $3,500 for the large and $1,500 for the small).
Sponsors are also given the chance to reach a new customer base of residents and travelers drawn to the business in search of the trout sculpture.
And that last benefit, according to Mueller, was one of the main goals of the Trail of the Trout project from the beginning.
In addition to offering artistic inspiration and raising funds for after-school art programs and local fish hatcheries, Mono Council for the Arts wanted to use Trail of the Trout as a way to get visitors to test the waters of area businesses and attractions that they have perhaps overlooked in the past.
Basically, Trail of the Trout is a “regional collaboration promoting tourism to the Eastern Sierra,” Mueller said.
The whole idea is a twist on famous attractions like Cow Parade in Chicago, Painted Ponies in Santa Fe and Cheyenne Big Boots in Wyoming’s capitol city, and residents, businesses and various groups have been quick to lend their support and get on board with sponsorships.
“It’s been amazing,” Mueller said. “These fish are going to be everywhere.”
Maps identifying the summer locations of the 50 sculptures should be available by the end of the month.
Local artists, who were chosen through a competitive process by a review committee, spent the past several months completing their masterpieces and Mueller for one couldn’t be more pleased with the results.
“I’m blown away by the quality of the artwork,” said Mueller. “I am absolutely amazed.”
According to Mueller, initial concerns that the effort would net “cutesy” sculptures have proved unfounded.
The finished products range in style – some have been painted to look realistic, others have been transformed into reflections of Eastern Sierra landscapes – but all are high-quality, Mueller said.
The artists themselves are wildly diverse, having been hand-selected from communities from Walker to Inyokern.
Aberdeen resident Jim Schreven, a sign painter for Caltrans by trade, produced one of Mueller’s favorite sculptures, a trout with delicate pencil sketchings of wildlife. That piece will have a permanent home at June Lake Marina thanks to owner John Frederickson, “an amazing supporter of fishing in the Eastern Sierra,” Mueller said.
The Mono County Fisheries Commission has likewise purchased the trout created by Ken Willingham, a potter from June Lake, so that it can be displayed permanently at the courthouse in Bridgeport. The Eastern Sierra Hatchery Foundation did the same with the sculpture made by Tony Davidson of Davidson Taxidermy in Big Pine, so the sculpture will have a permanent home at the Inyo County Courthouse in Independence.
Paiute Palace Casino has purchased the sculpture made by Karma Henry, a Paiute from Frazier Park.
Sponsors who don’t keep their sculptures permanently or donate them to other permanent homes will be releasing them in October to the auction block, where anyone from anywhere in the nation can bid on the works of art.
About the time the maps become available, Mono Council for the Arts will post the sculptures on an online auction site where they can be bid on and viewed throughout the rest of the summer. The online bidding will culminate in a live auction and gala event Oct. 18 at the Westin Monache Resort in Mammoth Lakes.
Tomorrow night’s unveiling is a good opportunity for potential buyers to get an early look at the sculptures, Mueller said, “and a great chance for people interested in sponsoring to come by and pick out a sculpture that hasn’t found a home yet.”
For more information, visit www.visitmammoth.com/trailofthetrout, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call (760) 873-7242.