"Coming into Joseph, I can't help but to compare what it was like when I was a kid growing up there. At that time I never even imagined I would have Bronze Statuary on the streets; the thought never even entered my mind. The traffic was so different back then. The streets were so empty after 4:00 on a weekday, you could shoot a cannon down Main Street without hitting anyone. Things were only a little livelier when the farmers & ranchers came to town on weekends. The 'Attitude Adjustment' monument stands on the corner of the block where Duncan's Livery Barn stood. I used to start my colts in the corrals out back, and ride them there until I got most of the 'buck' out of them. The memories of the Old West are still there & I am proud to have been part of that area and equally proud to be able to contribute to the atmosphere of Joseph with my sculptures of the Western Way of Life."

- Austin Barton

Way back in the 1870s, Oregon's Governor Lafayette Grover campaigned for what he described as "the redemption of the wilderness" in Oregon's remote northeast corner. He said that the Nez Perce Indians were wasting the productive potential of the land and that they should be removed from the path of progress so that hardworking settlers could turn the place into a more accommodating habitat for more and more people. When I arrived in Wallowa County in 1973, the population of pale faces was under 7,000. There were still wide open spaces, clear streams, and wonderful mountain views unobstructed by sprawling subdivisions or polluted air. Relative to the rest of the nation, redemption here seemed to be behind schedule. Thanks entirely to its "unredeemed" character, Wallowa County in recent years has become a magnet for artists. Migrating to beautiful, unspoiled locations has been something of a tradition for artists. Think of Van Gogh and the south of France, Gauguin and Tahiti, or Georgia O'Keefe abandoning New York for New Mexico. Also conforming to tradition, unfortunately, the arrival of artists often leads to big changes for these beautiful locations when urbanites, wanting to see what the artists are so enthusiastic about, begin migrating themselves, bringing their pocketbooks with them. Whether Wallowa County will conform to this tradition in all respects remains to be seen, but it will be ironic if it turns out to be artists who finally fulfill Governor Grover's vision.

-Dave Jensen

"Main Street may have changed her costume over the years but the backdrop and lighting have remained the same. I rolled into town some twenty five years ago looking for Glen Anderson, builder of the first of four world class foundries in the area. The crisp air snapped with natural vitality and creative excitement. It's all here...the warm embrace of the canyon basalts, the vibrant stimulation of high mountain lakes, and a close knit sense of artistic community. I live here simply because this wellspring of inspiration feeds my desire to create. The wonderful stillness gives me the time."

- Shelley Curtiss