This is a copy of the proposal the artist sent to inSITE2000 in September, 1999.
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Proposal from Allan McCollum to:
InSITE2000 964 Fifth Avenue San Diego California 92101 September 15, 1999 | 
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PROPOSAL TO inSITE2000
I propose to create a 'campaign' to boost awareness of a certain area just outside of San Diego. This campaign (if this is the right word) would involve the creation of a number of small projects: an outdoor sculpture, a series of fund-raising souvenirs, a few group exhibitions of artists local to the area, and perhaps a few inexpensive booklets on relevant local lore, etc.
I'm interested in comparing the border region of Imperial Valley/Mexicali Valley to that of the San Diego/Tijuana area. It is interesting to me that people from San Diego often know much more about their neighbors in Tijuana than they know about their neighbors in Imperial Valley.
The object that would form the centerpiece of my proposed project is a large sculpture of a sand spike. Sand spikes are a very particular type of geological oddity: sand concretions found only at the foot of a mountain called Mount Signal in the U.S. and El Centinela in Mexico (near Calexico and Mexicali in the Mexican/American border region). This mountain has much symbolic meaning to people on both sides of the border. The large (16-foot-long?) concrete scale model of one of the sand spikes should wind up as an outdoor "roadside attraction" near the mountain itself, or in a park nearby, or somewhere travelers will see it. It could function in a similar way to, for instance, the giant lemon in Lemon Grove (but more natural-looking and better!). I would like to see it near Seeley or Ocotillo, somewhere along Interstate 8. Apart from the Jacumba Desert Tower in San Diego County, there are no such symbolic man-made objects between San Diego and El Centro, and I would like to see something there to mark the Valley. In a way, I want to create memories for those who drive this route.
I will try to borrow a sand spike from the collection of the wonderful Imperial Valley Pioneers Museum a growing regional museum in Imperial County, to use as a model. In this way, the sculpture refers to the community itself and hopefully invites participation. I have been in touch with the museum about this. If they prefer not to lend their object, I have a personal collection of sand spikes, and I could choose one of them. I'm hoping to have the object scanned and enlarged to a length of sixteen feet using computer automated manufacturing techniques in California. I hope it may wind up as a permanent attraction, and, if it is appropriate, I would like it to be labeled as a gift from inSITE2000, San Diego and Tijuana.
However, this particular object will initially form only a small part of the project as a whole. The larger project is to try to create a sort of 'campaign' (?) to create more awareness of the interesting aspects of the area, which I believe are often overlooked by people from the San Diego area and the rest of Southern California in general. I will help create a series of small exhibits, all referring to Mount Signal/El Centinela and it's sand spikes, in regional museums, galleries, or wherever else there might be interest in the Imperial/Mexicali Valley areas .
So far, Interest has been shown by Georgina Walters and Claudia Schroeder, at the Museo Universitario, Universidad Autonoma de Baja California, in Mexicali, a very nice regional museum (nearly all their exhibitions are about the region itself). They are interested in doing an exhibit of artworks that refer in some way to 'El Centinela,' (Mt. Signal) and have generously offered to donate some of their staff's time toward the production of a large (8-foot-long) model of the mountain itself! To help produce the model, I'm hoping inSITE2000 can help me find some computer people in San Diego that will know how to find (or produce) a detailed topological mapping of the mountain - perhaps from satellite GIS data.
I have also spoken with Virginia Ryerson, a founder of the Pioneer Museum in Imperial, California, and a co-director of the Imperial Valley Art Association. We've discussed the possibility of doing an exhibition of Mount Signal imagery: landscape paintings, photography, drawings, graphic works, including perhaps advertising imagery that already exists, and other mediums, etc. If this works out, maybe these items could be a part of Mexicali or Calexico exhibits, or maybe as a separate exhibit in the El Centro-Imperial-Brawley area, or, a real hope, in San Diego. The University Art Gallery at the San Diego State University (SDSU) is a possibility.
I have been talking with Sheila Dollente, director of the Steppling Art Gallery at the SDSU-Imperial Valley Campus in Calexico, and the people at the Imperial County Arts Council. They both have expressed some possible interest in doing something as a part of the project, and we are still discussing this possibility.
I want to produce some local souvenirs - perhaps small plaster (?) models of their mountain and small replicas of the sand spike. I have never been able to find any souvenirs in the area that refer to the area itself - only generic 'desert' items, etc. I think this is very sad. I want to find some local institution that could use such souvenirs to raise money. In addition, maybe the molds could be given to a local group so that the souvenirs could be produced in the future. These replicas could also be shown in a gallery en masse, displayed in a way similar to the way I often exhibit my other work.
I have a personal interest in also involving the yet-to-be-finished Imperial Valley College Desert Museum in some way - perhaps they might help host the installation of my sand spike sculpture on or near their land, which is at the Ocotillo off-ramp on Interstate 8. I also would like the project to help them in their fund-raising efforts in some way, as I think this museum (should it ever come to be!) could serve such a wonderful educational purpose, and also add so much to the public's awareness of the area.
In addition to the above objects, I'm hoping to publish some type of small booklet (or booklets) on the local history of sand spike collecting and the mountain itself (geological, geographical, historical, cultural, etc.).
To sum up, the project can have many smaller projects within it, depending on local interest, money, time, and so forth.
The possible projects are:
1. A giant 16-foot sand spike, eventually displayed along Interstate 8 near Mt. Signal/El Centinela (perhaps on the ground of the Imperial Valley College Desert Museum?).
2. An exhibit (travelling, hopefully) of Mt. Signal/El Centinela imagery (paintings, photographs, etc.), to be seen in regional museums, galleries, or - ?). This may include an eight-foot model of the mountain).
3. Small cast souvenirs of the mountain and the sand spike for local fund-raising purposes, maybe later becoming a standard souvenir for tourists (the molds could be donated to a local group).
4. A large display of these souvenirs shown in San Diego or in Imperial Valley.
5. An exhibit of actual sand spikes at a local site (I have been collecting them just for this purpose), which includes local collectors, Mineral Clubs, etc.
6. A booklet on the history and local lore pertaining to sand spike collecting and the mountain.
7. A lecture by me to the local Art Association and/or the Community College, or --?
8. Perhaps other miscellaneous displays or events, co-ordinated by interested local individuals or institutions who are interested to contribute.
Sincerely,
Allan McCollum
http://home.att.net/~allanmcnyc
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