Statue of Vera Katz

The statue measures {{Convert|53|in|cm}} x {{Convert|18|in|cm}} x {{Convert|18|in|cm}} and rests on an orange triangular base. Katz is depicted wearing a Portland rose on her lapel.{{cite book|last1=Cook|first1=Sybilla Avery|title=Walking Portland, Oregon|date=April 2, 2013|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|page=183|isbn=9780762794119|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wvPWSWqzCT0C&pg=PA183|access-date=October 29, 2014|archive-date=February 1, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210201025934/https://books.google.com/books?id=wvPWSWqzCT0C&pg=PA183|url-status=live}}

Portland State University's Daily Vanguard described Katz as: "leaning close to a small body with legs crossed and hands in, squeezed together in her lap as if she's cold, too. The teeth are also bared and unusually straight, creating the impression that Katz might snap at passers-by. But overall, the face is open and the hair is particularly lifelike."{{cite news|last=Monte|first=Celina|title=Warm up with art|url=http://psuvanguard.com/uncategorized/warm-up-with-art/|access-date=October 29, 2014|work=Daily Vanguard|publisher=Portland State University|date=November 29, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030100603/http://psuvanguard.com/uncategorized/warm-up-with-art/|archive-date=October 30, 2014|url-status=dead}} According to The Oregonian, the sculpture provides a lap on which children can pose and sometimes frightens passersby at night. It is part of the collection of the Regional Arts & Culture Council (RACC).{{cite web|title=Vera Katz|url=https://www.publicartarchive.org/art/Vera-Katz|publisher=Public Art Archive|access-date=October 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030063901/http://www.publicartarchive.org/work/vera-katz|archive-date=October 30, 2014|url-status=live}} The organization has said: "it seems fitting that [Katz's] political leadership and love for the arts should come together in a public tribute to her".{{cite journal|title=Vera Katz Statue Unveiled on Esplanade|journal=ARTnotes|date=June 2006|url=http://racc.org/newsletters/artnotes/jul2006.html#3|access-date=March 15, 2015|publisher=Regional Arts & Culture Council|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101127183309/http://racc.org/newsletters/artnotes/jul2006.html#3|archive-date=November 27, 2010|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

Bane's study for the sculpture, called Vera, is a bronze bust measuring {{Convert|18|in|cm}} x {{Convert|11|in|cm}}. The bust is part of a private collection.{{cite web|title=Vera|url=http://banestudios.com/works/369976/vera|publisher=Bane Studios|access-date=October 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110102448/http://banestudios.com/works/369976/vera|archive-date=November 10, 2014|url-status=dead}}

File:Vera Katz.jpg]]

The statue was financed by a "group of generous Portlanders", and its commission was managed by RACC with assistance from members of Katz's former staff. It was unveiled on June 2, 2006, on the plaza at the south end of the Esplanade,{{cite web|title=Eastbank Esplanade|url=http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?&propertyid=105&action=viewpark|publisher=Portland Parks & Recreation|access-date=October 29, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141104071715/http://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/finder/index.cfm?&propertyid=105&action=ViewPark|archive-date=November 4, 2014|url-status=live}} just north of the Hawthorne Bridge and Main Street marker.

Katz attended the statue's surprise unveiling during an event organized by RACC and funded by friends. Also in attendance were Mayor Tom Potter, three city commissioners, Bill Bane, friends, and former staff members. Wearing a lei brought by her son, Katz said the statue looked "far more beautiful than [her]" and encouraged city officials to continue expanding the Eastbank Esplanade south.{{cite news|last1=Yao|first1=Stephanie|title=Esplanade statue: A look-alike for former mayor|work=The Oregonian|date=June 3, 2006}}

The statue went missing temporarily in October 2013, leading to a promise to investigate on Twitter by then-Mayor Sam Adams. In reality it had been temporarily removed for repairs by RACC and Portland Parks.{{Cite web |title=Vera Katz statue gone from Esplanade for repairs |publisher=KGW |date=October 30, 2013 |access-date=June 11, 2020 |url=https://www.kgw.com/article/news/vera-katz-statue-gone-from-esplanade-for-repairs/283-71710552 |quote=Portland Parks spokeswoman Beth Sorensen described the procedure to KGW as spa work and expects her to be back in three to six weeks. |archive-date=June 12, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200612042029/https://www.kgw.com/article/news/vera-katz-statue-gone-from-esplanade-for-repairs/283-71710552 |url-status=live }} On September 21, 2016, the statue was vandalized. The graffiti included a swastika on the chest of the statue, and writing on the wall next to the Katz statue which read "Vera wants affordable housing". It is unclear whether the vandalism on the wall and statue were both done by the same person.{{cite news|title=Statue of Vera Katz vandalized on the Eastbank Esplanaude|url=http://katu.com/news/local/statue-of-vera-katz-vandalized-on-the-eastbank-esplanaude|access-date=September 22, 2016|publisher=KATU|date=September 21, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160922125600/http://katu.com/news/local/statue-of-vera-katz-vandalized-on-the-eastbank-esplanaude|archive-date=September 22, 2016|url-status=live}}

In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, a face mask was affixed to the statue as well as other local artworks.{{cite news |last1=Meagher |first1=Sean |title=PHOTOS: Portlanders find creative ways to put masks on statues and other things across the city |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/news/j66j-2020/04/ea6d5839de4468/photos-portlanders-find-creative-ways-to-put-masks-on-statues-across-the-city.html |access-date=May 21, 2020 |work=The Oregonian |date=April 13, 2020 |archive-date=April 26, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200426114400/https://www.oregonlive.com/news/j66j-2020/04/ea6d5839de4468/photos-portlanders-find-creative-ways-to-put-masks-on-statues-across-the-city.html |url-status=live }}

In 2006, Willamette Week included the sculpture in its annual "Best of Portland" list, under the category "Best Mayoral Monument". According to the paper:

... Bane managed to capture much of the ex-mayor's character: Her eyes are friendly and her hair as wild as ever. But Katz's signature grin is a little stiff, a little too aggressive. Leaning forward, she looks as if she might take a bite out of the next passerby. Which by the way, seems appropriate when you look back on her days behind the mayoral desk. Maybe monochromatic bronze just isn't the right medium for a woman as colorful as ol' Vera. Where's the red blazer? Our suggestion: Get this lady some accessories! The right hat or scarf could make that brown pantsuit really work.{{cite news|title=Best of Portland: Pundits|url=http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-5925-best_of_portland_pundits.html|access-date=October 29, 2014|work=Willamette Week|date=August 9, 2006|location=Portland, Oregon|publisher=City of Roses Newspapers|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141018104322/http://www.wweek.com/portland/article-5925-best_of_portland_pundits.html|archive-date=October 18, 2014|url-status=live}}

Daily Vanguard{{'s}} Celina Monte called the sculpture "fabulously strange" and said it illustrated the "straightforward, tactile and symmetrical properties" of some of Bane's other work. The work has been included in at least one published walking tour of Portland, which noted its function as a meeting location for bicyclists and pedestrians. In 2013, RACC's public art collections manager said the work has received mostly "positive attention" and has been outfitted with hats, flowers and "yarn-bombed" sweaters. It has also attracted books, hats, lipstick, paint and even a "mohawk of cake frosting".{{cite web|last1=Sadowsky|first1=Dan|title=Maintaining The Public's Art|url=http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/maintaining-the-publics-art/|publisher=Oregon Public Broadcasting|access-date=October 29, 2014|date=November 6, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141030092052/http://www.opb.org/artsandlife/article/maintaining-the-publics-art/|archive-date=October 30, 2014|url-status=live}}

{{Portal|Oregon|Visual arts}}

• 2006 in art
• Alluvial Wall, Echo Gate, Ghost Ship and Stack Stalk, 2001 sculptures along the Eastbank Esplanade

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WM6VYY_Vera_Katz_Mayor_City_of_Portland_Oregon Vera Katz, Mayor, City of Portland, Oregon] at Waymarking.com
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20141006113837/http://racc.org/sites/default/files/NewPublicArtBrochure07.pdf Portland Cultural Tours: Public Art Walking Tour] (PDF), Regional Arts & Culture Council

{{Buckman, Portland, Oregon}}

{{Public art in Portland, Oregon}}

Category:2006 establishments in Oregon

Category:2006 sculptures

Category:Bronze sculptures in Portland, Oregon

Category:Buckman, Portland, Oregon

Category:Monuments and memorials in Portland, Oregon

Category:Monuments and memorials to American women

Category:Outdoor sculptures in Southeast Portland, Oregon

Category:Sculptures of women in Oregon

Category:Statues in Portland, Oregon

Category:Statues of women in the United States

Category:Vandalized works of art in Portland, Oregon