The mile-long art installation, “Confluence: Stream Science, Handwriting, and Urban Curbs,” is being uninstalled from the sidewalks along the Truckee River and in downtown Reno. Created by Todd Gilens, a Bay Area visual artist, the poem stretches about a mile, from Idlewild Park to the corner of First and Virginia streets.
The cursive poem was written on the curbs, thematically divided into 20 parts, and crafted to fit specific locations. The project used a font based on the handwriting of the late federal Water Master Claude Dukes. It was installed in fall of 2023.
The de-installation process began July 1, and the ghost script that remains of the artwork is expected to fade within weeks.
The project was supported by the city’s arts commission after extensive material testing. Gilens and a team of assistants installed the artwork, which was contracted to remain in place for one year. But degradation from the elements forced its removal two months early.
Gilens said he aimed for the artwork to slow down people’s pace, encouraging them to connect with their surroundings and the larger processes of nature. Measuring each section methodically, the character count per foot was meticulously calculated, though final adjustments slightly altered the length.
Gilens emphasized that the project, while precise, is also poetic, highlighting the importance of the moment and the individual’s experience within the broader landscape shaped by water over eons.
In an email, Gilens said the lettering had not weathered as well as expected, and the city asked that he remove the remaining texts.
City of Reno Arts and Culture Manager Megan Berner said she appreciated how the poem engaged pedestrians with their environment, sparking curiosity and interaction. She added that even though the piece had a positive reception, it had really started to degrade.
“It was kind of an experiment,” Berner said. “We had in the contract if it started to degrade too much the artist would have to uninstall it. We had some complaints from some community members who use the river path (about it coming up) and there was concern about its proximity to the river. So that’s what happened, unfortunately.”
Another piece of public art—the Space Whale—was also originally contracted to be in place for one year, and also degraded while the city was still leasing it. It was allowed to remain in place despite broken glass and in a condition deemed in 2019 to be “unsafe and unsupportable” by arts commission members.
City of Reno Spokesperson Landon Miller said the difference between the two installations is that unlike the Space Whale, “Confluence” was always intended to be temporary.
“The Space Whale is different as it is a permanent artwork that will last for a long time,” he said.
The city’s original lease for the sculpture was the same length of contract as “Confluence.” The city, however, allowed it to remain for years longer and eventually purchased it. City officials then buried in a length budget spreadsheet an indication it was actually purchasing the sculpture. No public input was solicitied for the whale’s purchase.
As Gilens worked to remove the art, he said that although it was a little bittersweet, he was learning a lot about the material.
“There’s really beautiful passages and sections, and even individual words that are kind of stunning to me,” he said. “I remember that the piece is not just a 6,000-word poem; it’s individual letters, the beauty of lettering and typography. It just works on so many levels.”
