In 1991 the international art world turned its attention to Kern County. It was part of an exhibition that though very temporary, is still remembered fondly today. The story of “The Umbrellas” by Christo and Jean Claude, today on KVPR’s Central Valley Roots.
Artists Christo and his wife Jean Claude made a worldwide reputation though site specific environmental artworks. In 1972, their 24 1/2 mile-long work “Running Fence” turned the hills of Marin and Sonoma into an undulating landscape-scale artwork. In the 1980s they wrapped European landmarks like the Reichstag and Paris’s Pont Neuf bridge in fabric and surrounded islands in Biscayne Bay in pink drapery.
Then in 1991, the duo staged perhaps the boldest project yet. 3,100 umbrellas, each nearly 20 feet tall, would be installed on two sites an ocean apart. In Japan’s Ibaraki prefecture, near Tokyo, the umbrellas would be blue. In California, the land along "The Grapevine" on Interstate 5 would be covered in yellow umbrellas.
Most of the California umbrellas were on land owned by the Tejon Ranch, in a display stretching 18 miles. The $26 million installation opened October 8, 1991. It was scheduled to run for three weeks, but was cut short after wind toppled one of the Kern County umbrellas, killing a woman. Another person died in an unrelated accident in Japan. Despite the tragedy, “The Umbrellas” remain a vivid event for many in Kern County and in the California arts community.
