In 1996, just after 10 a.m. on a Thursday, two art pieces were unveiled side-by-side in a joint ceremony. One being a statue displayed along the hiking trails, and the other? A fourteen-foot-long tapestry that hangs in the entrance hall of the library building, titled As the Eagle Flies, crafted by Cecilia Blomberg.
As the Eagle Flies was originally commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission and Washington State University Vancouver. It was created in an effort dedicated to placing art in publicly accessible spaces to be enjoyed by everyone in the greater Vancouver community for free.
The tapestry itself has the viewer take on the perspective of an eagle as you soar “with new knowledge under your wings” over the lower Columbia River, toward Longview and “out there, beyond, to the ocean, to the entrance to the world.”
The textiles used to craft the piece include seine twine warp, wool, and linen weft from the artist’s homeland of Sweden. These elements come together to create the vivid colors representing the natural beauty of the Gorge in the early evening. Hidden symbols are woven discreetly into the scenery, as the artist attempted to capture the intricate history of the Vancouver, Washington area in a single view.
Unlike the many artworks that can be found across all WSU campuses, As the Eagle Flies is more than just a pretty piece of art. It was designed with Vancouver in mind, to be displayed locally and viewed by the people who live and learn here.
If you look beyond a passing glance and if you gaze into the scenery for long enough, the piece becomes a scavenger hunt for history. Within its threads you might find petroglyphs of goats, apples, salmon, or other small nods to the chronology of our area.
It highlights the unique geology, ecology, and history of our Southwest Washington home. It doesn’t just represent the WSU system at large but belongs specifically to this WSUV campus—to us and to our whole community.
“It is all here, in our lives, interwoven. But we don’t always see it. We don’t always remember the past and how it is still tied to today and to our future.” — Cecilia
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