Riverbox of the Sun was created by Ron Hirschi, Mary Sheridan, and participants in Dublin Arts Council Summer Teacher Institute in 2007.

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Riverbox of the Sun Artist and Credits:
(information provided by artist Ron Hirschi)

Riverbox of the Sun was created during the Summer Teacher Institute: Integrated Curriculum and The Ripple Effect, hosted by the Dublin Arts Council. Collaborators were many, including people you will see while shopping for groceries in Dublin, picking up your children from school, or passing by as you motor along Riverside Drive.

Mary Sheridan, Angela Kalb, and Cheryl Knox, artists and art teachers from the greater Columbus area, were the primary artists involved in construction of the physical Riverbox. Biologist and author Ron Hirschi had a hand in the box design and in creating the copper embellishments. Hirschi also wrote a story just for Riverbox of the Sun, which you can find in the Riverbox vessel. Kirk Hilbrands, a history teacher at New Albany High School, influenced the design greatly with his spiraling creations during the summer workshop that led to the box ‘s creation.

Maggie Argiro inspired the tributary additions to the project, a contribution of significance we hope you will ponder. Like the roots of a tree, tributaries are the lifeblood of a river. You can trace the path of the tributaries of the Scioto on a detailed map of Ohio. In Dublin and nearby communities, the river picks up significant stream flow from the Olentangy, Indian Run, and Alum Creek tributaries.

 

To the north, Rush Creek and Mill Creek near Marysville feed its waters. And to the south and west, one of America’s most precious waterways, the Darby, adds a great deal of life to the Scioto. Named one of the top rivers in our country by the conservation group, American Rivers, The Darby contains some of the highest diversity of life forms in North America.

 

Before the Scioto weds its waters with the Ohio, it receives flows from historic streams such as Salt Creek. By reading a list of other Scioto tributaries, the stories of America unfold in their names – Beaver Creek, Pigeon Creek, and Sunfish Creek, which tell of the incredible abundance of fish and wildlife that once fed or clothed most people living in the Ohio River Valley.

 

The little sunfish, the beavers, and all other life forms within and along the river have been greatly diminished over time. But they can and will return if we have the desire. Life in and along water is the most precious natural resource in our country. Like clean air, clean water is needed for all life. When the millstone turned grain into flour, people must have come to the riverbank to enjoy the stream. They certainly swam and fished and watched the birds overhead.

 

It’s up to us to do the same. But our working tools are no longer millstones. And so we might use our computers, our art, our words, and other tools to restore the river. You are encouraged to take a trip up and down its shores to learn more about river life and ecology. The Scioto and its tributaries are some of America’s most precious natural resources. Some of these waters are healthy, many are not. To help the entire watershed will take many years. To help a small part of the Scioto and its many streams, you might plant a tree along the banks of a pond, small stream or river. Your action will help the sun nourish the leaves that feed the life flowing on downstream.

 

Additional thanks:
Riverbox of the Sun was created through the DAC Summer Teacher Institute in June 2007, which was offered through Ashland University, was underwritten by the Martha Holden Jennings Foundation and received additional support from the Ohio Department of Education.

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