Sue Walsh
The 15-story Portland Building at 1120 SW 5th Avenue was designed by architect Michael Graves. It opened in 1982, cost $29 million, and was upgraded in the early 2000’s. It houses many of the city’s administrative offices and is the workplace of over 1400 city and county employees. It is the home of the statue, Portlandia. Although it was critically acclaimed as a marvel of the postmodern architectural style, it was derided by many locals as an abomination. Regardless, it is symbol of the unique nature of Portland and an example of how to “Keep Portland Weird.”
Sue wanted a simple project using a weave structure that almost anyone could weave. She chose a kitchen towel in twill blocks, which requires 8 shafts and a quick treadle change between the 8-shaft combination needed for the lower section and a different 8-shaft combo for the upper section of the building. The warp is 8/2 cotton in alabaster, brick red, and different blues, set at 24epi; the weft is also 8/2 cotton, in blue for the building’s base and black for the windowed section. She wove on an 8-shaft Baby Wolf, making the treadle change quick and easy.