A West Coast 'Statue of Liberty'? That's the goal for this artist
An Oregon man hopes to raise enough money to build a statue on the West Coast that would counterbalance the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast. He plans to call it “Providence.”
Jay Jarvie of Eagle Point, which is near Medford, is the artist behind the idea. He hasn’t decided on or fully researched a location, but he hopes to build it in Oregon.
Eugene, for example, is geographically parallel to the Statue of Liberty.
“The best opportunity to find a city that would like to have it, willing to have it,” Jarvie said, “that we could either incorporate into the ownership of the city or something they’ll maintain because it will be a draw for their economic purposes, too, hopefully invite a lot of tourism into an area.”
Read more: Providence project website
The statue would have a similar stance to the Statue of Liberty but with different elements. For example, the woman holds a sword in the air instead of a torch. That sword, according to Jarvie, is supposed to symbolize authority. There are a total of six elements with symbolism.
“I don’t want it to be just another piece of art out there, I really want it to be symbolic,” Jarvie told KATU, “that man needs to extend himself into more service to other people.”
Jarvie announced his plans Thursday and hopes to start raising money Monday through Kickstarter.com. He says that money will go toward a life scale model, and he eventually wants to raise a total of $10 million to build it within a couple of years. He hopes the word about his idea spreads fast and causes a lot of reaction.
“The bigger the better,” Jarvie said. “We’re not relying on anything but the public to fund it.”
He hopes to raise $35,000 in the next month to make an eight-foot version of the statue that he says is necessary for engineering purposes.
And Jarvie isn't the only artist who is dreaming big. A Utah artist also hopes to build a large "Statue of Responsibility" somewhere on the West Coast.
It would be as tall as the Statue of Liberty and depicts two hands holding each other.
The project's CEO says Portland is one of six potential host cities, so don't be surprised if we hear about this project again in the future.
The men behind both projects also told us they wish each other well.
Swap out the sword, and put in a steelhead rod!
 @Spook89 My partner said she looks like the Gorton's Fisherman last night. I kinda like the idea of doing that and have it be geared toward the self sustaining place we boast about. A rifle, fishing pole, and a bundle of berries. LOL
Look at the judgement in these comments. Never stifle one's creativity. You don't have to donate money if you disagree with this. Personally, I'm very disappointed in the people who bash this idea. I thought this was a place where we embrace one's talents, and encourage them to grow. Not demean them for trying to do something for US, Oregon.. Maybe that revenue it generates will fill those fiscal gaps. Some people just have to be a cynic. Proactive, not reactive. I think it's a f**king fabulous idea. Get over yourselves.
@PDXBEARÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â .dont be so judgemental
It makes the most sense to put this somewhere near the Mexian border so that the "immigrants" see it as they arrive...just like the Statue of Liberty on the East Coast.
I think we could do this a lot cheaper than the "artist" estimated. Why don't  we just buy one of those surplus Lenin statues they have over in Russia, and put that up instead? It would be the perfect symbol for oregon.
 @Razor1 LOL! I think that the occutards have already bought... err... stolen... them all.
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After investing much time/thought/energy and blood into this, Ive come up iwith a non-partisan dea that im sure everyone will endorse. The statue will be called "the American Dream" anbd it will be a 317 foot copper sculpture of "Honey Boo Boo".
I still think Portlandia needs to be on the waterfront, near the seawall.
 @denb Where is the statue now? Moved back here 5 years ago and I've never seen it. I agree with you. It needs to be a lot more visible.
 @PDXBEAR  @denb I believe it's in front of the Standard Insurance Building in the middle of downtown PDX
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 @denb Nah.. Portlandia is on it's last leg... Cancel the lame show..
I was referring to Portlandia the statue @dougrpdx  @denbÂ
"Give us your illegal, your uneducated, yearning for EBTs"
If they build it in Portland, you could always put a bird on it. Oh wait, I'm sure birds will visit it.
Oh, piffle! A pole, a naked (well, okay . . . almost naked!) 19yo girl, make the installation anywhere in the PDX area and I'm sure there would be more than enough $20.00 bills donated to pay for the whole thing ----- especially if the artist can make it so that the statue of the (almost!) naked girl will rotate around the statue of the pole for a few seconds every time a $20.00 bill is donated!
And in Florida, residents there want to build a Statue of Liberty-sized monument entitled, "It's Not My Fault!". So far residents are unable to decide who should be the model of the person being dragged off to jail by policemen.
Holding a sword symbolizing authority opposed to the Lady Liberty's Torch of Liberty? Hmmm, just whose authority is the sword enforcing?
Get rid of the sword put her on a stripper pole and dollar bills in her G-string
 @Unknown Just make sure you're not under it when the BIG ONE hits!
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 @HarryJuku I think replacing the sword with a really big pair of brass testicles would be good.
Talk about balls that klank.
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 @HarryJuku That's why they would be in her hand...
I suggest a statue of a person of indeterminate race, gender, sexual orientation, and religion facing Washington, D.C. with outstretched hand (palm up). A look of utter contempt would be on his or her face to symbolize the attitude of entitlement. The other hand would be holding a shredded copy of the Constitution. At the foot of the statue would be the words, "You have it. I want it. If you don't give it to me, I'll have government get it for me."
 @HenryBowman I like it! lol.
 @HenryBowman Bitter are we ?
@HenryBowman:  I'd like to see a 476 foot statue of one of the iconic Jailblazers..Rasheed? Kemp? Stoudamire? good lord, if we had a statue of them all it would make Mt Rushmore look like a very small get together.   It would line the coast from Astoria to The Baja.Â
 @Karla Readsalot Yes, and it would be the largest murder of Crows ever gathered together.
 @HenryBowman Justin Bieber?
What the hell... ? Ten million dollars and we have a homeless problem that is astounding.. This guy is delusional..
Let me guess, he we be in charge on the money , of course he will be on the payroll for the charity.. Ohhh my... What a scam... Folks, send ten dollars to the hunger shelter downtown, they need it, we don't need a statue !
This is Jay Jarvie the artist commenting on your post-- You have made some assumptions incorrectly. In fact the Providence monument represents exactly what you suggest. Sorry that KATU could not include my entire interview in their report so I would like to clarify some points for you and other readers 1- there will be a group controlling the money. 2- I make a living by other means and will not be taking a windfall from the monuments funds. 3- I do not want any charity for the monument project. Each donation actually purchases a piece of art or reward. (In your hands) 4- The monument is auxiliary to my primary project, The Vividus Project, which emphasizes people being of service to others and in lifting civilization. I spend almost all my time devoted to this project. âMy life is devoted to ending the need for hunger shelters.â
I will teach a primary principle here- Do not contribute to the project if you feel that people need NO inspiration to get them to think about the service you are talking about. Send your $10 to the hunger shelter. I will however, continue my attempt at inspiring millions to end hunger and much more. It is a principle proven by marketing- millions of viewers x $10 x 100+ years= (more than 2 meals at the homeless shelter)
@dougrpdx  The only "problem" we have with the homeless is that we give such a huge level of services to them we are attracting ones from other states. I vividly recall a couple that were interviewed outside a shelter during the last bout of 20 degree weather. They old the reporter that they were from Texas. When the reporter asked why they came here, their exact response was "Because we heard you are nice to homeless people here." Not because they had family here, not because they had a job waiting for them - they simply came because they heard they could suck off the social wefare system. And they heard this *all the way down in Texas* for God's sake.
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 As long as we have a system that enables parasitical behavior, homelessness will be a self-fufilling (and permanent) problem in this state.
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I'll take a statue over more bums any day.
 @Derek2mk You don't need to donate, on the other hand you don't need to run down the program because you are cheap !
 @Derek2mk ...but what have you done besides complain and just not give them money? Have you done anything proactive to rid Portland of it's "Bums"? You know, a lot of us here are just one paycheck away from homelessness. You should know working emergency services. It doesn't pay dick. Now I understand why you don;t throw money at them. You cant afford it in the first place. Carry on.Â
 @Derek2mk  @dougrpdx Right... Gotcha... So you are willing to donate for a statue that will do nothing, and on the other hand won't feed a hungry man.. No, I was right, you are cheap !
@dougrpdx I'm not cheap, I just refuse to enable bums by throwing away money...
 @Derek2mk This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Our services are "so good that they attract homeless from other states"? Are you kidding me? You seriously think the homeless have the means to network outside of their area with other homeless people and say, "hey, I know you're homeless and don't even have enough money to but a hot meal, but save up a few bucks and get yourself to Portland because even though its unbearably cold here in the winter, the services are great!" You're judging an entire segment of our society based on one sound byte you heard on the news?Â
 @Harvey 1701  @Derek2mk How many of the transients that you see lining the downtown streets are from Portland?  Many of them travel, and word does get around.  Where do you think that they go in the winter?
@Harvey 1701 No Dipstick, I base my opinon on 25 years in Emergency Services, and speaking to these type of people *every single working day* of my career. As opposed to reading about it in Willy Week, or listening to my Democratic friends snivel about it at the Bread & Ink on Hawthorne every Saturday morning (like armchair warriors like you..)Â
the statue should be a singlle mother with 6 kids around her and holding onto her oregon trail card. that would be awesome
i like how this guy has such a big dream i hope he is able to make it ^^ but Repoman is right i think that guy needs a little more research if hes allowed to build it
Thanks Kyo. I hope you dream big as well.  At this point the project is all about research. Nothing is yet cast in stone (or should I say bronze). You and Repoman should visit the official monument website then let us know if we have missed the point. If you still think so please leave some bit of inspiration to set us in the right direction. statueofprovidence.org
Well this guys missed the whole point of the statue to begin with.
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The "Lady Liberty" is not about "balance" with the right coast, nor about immigration (immigrants didn't really even get to see the statue, they were below decks).
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It was a gesture of our ally France to us following THEIR revolution and our civil war. It was a present for our centennial (although it was a few years late) from a friend.
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Now what this guy SHOULD think of is maybe making something unique and gifting it to one of our allies. Something that embodies their beliefs and ties us and that country closer.
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 @Repoman How about Saudi Arabia? A big statue of a man beheading a woman for wanting equality? Or Pakistan? A Taliban shooting a teenage girl for wanting an education? Or Iran? A scale model of a city being nuked?
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Just some thoughts. :-P
 @MikeyÂ
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LOL Funny but not I think the direction we want to go.
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Part of what France did was to tick off Great Britain. So maybe we should look at our South Korean or maybe Taiwan allies.
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We could do it with Japan, that's a though. Maybe a giant Samurai warrior made of steel or other strong metal with an welcoming hand stretching across the Pacific in Tokyo harbor?
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A kid can dream canât he? LOL
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 @Repoman I think a giant metal Pikachu would be more relevant today.
Nice, but we don't need millions of immigrants coming to Oregon, they already are but in a different way.
@dkgiovenco You are right.  The Multnomahs, Nez Pearce, Cow Creek, Hoods, Klamaths and others really made a mistake allowing all those immigrants into the state of Oregon.
@Nicholas DeBurgo   So what? Give it a rest - *their* ancestors came from other places too. Just because they came first didn't mean they own it forever. There have been population shifts for as long as man has trod the earth .Given the war-like nature of man, land have been won and lost every since we stood upright.
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I don't buy into white guilt: "The use of your Race Card has been declined."