Dancing with Sea Lions
The Dancing With Sea Lions project began as a fundraiser for the 20th Anniversary of the Florence Events Center. The volunteers of the Florence Arts, Culture, and Entertainment nonprofit group (previously known as the Friends of the FEC) headed up this project in conjunction with the Florence Events Center Staff. Twenty life size sea lion sculptures were each painted by a different artist. All of them were displayed with their sponsors along the Oregon Coast till October of 2016, when they were then purchased by businesses and individuals. Fifteen of them are still publicly displayed in Florence and near by coastal locations. See our 'Where are they now' map for their current locations, and check our blog for updates. Share your Dancing Sea Lion pics with us and we'll add them to our Gallery of images.
Benjamin Cahoon
Project Name: Eco and the Ecosystems
of Oregon
Nickname: Eco
Sponsor and owner: Siuslaw Public Library
Denver, Colorado born student artist, Benjamin Cahoon, now lives with his family of four in Florence. Describing his style as ”Impressionistic Realism”, Cahoon incorporates a variety of natural and urban themes into his artwork.
Currently a junior at Siuslaw High School, Benjamin enjoys trying every medium he can get his hands on. These include but are not limited to charcoal, graphite, acrylic, watercolor, pastels, mixed media, lino cuts, scratchboard, photography, and ceramics. This is the first public art project Benjamin has ever taken on and he hopes it will not be the last. An award winning and published artist, Benjamin Cahoon has had his artwork displayed across Lane County. His work has taken first place honors for the past two years running in the Florence Event Center’s Fresh Impressions. He has also received honorable mentions with his artwork in numerous shows.
A young artist with vision, Cahoon strives to bring out the beauty of people, nature, and the world we live in his works of art, all the while instilling a sense of child-like wonder upon his viewers.