Bartow in the frame

Yakona preserve honors artistic legacy of Rick Bartow

Rena Olson and JoAnn Barton of the Yakona Nature Preserve

Story & photos by Gretchen Ammerman

Oregon Coast TODAY

Eagles circled overhead while I spoke to JoAnn Barton and Rena Olson about the latest project at Newport’s Yakona Nature Preserve and Education Center. The preserve, a growing swath of land purchased for restoration and conservation by JoAnn and Bill Barton, is soon to be the home of a reconstructed studio once used by celebrated local artist Rick Bartow.

To help fund the reconstruction and to celebrate the life and works of the late artist, the Newport Performing Arts Center will host the Rick Bartow Film Festival this Friday, June 6, and The Bijou Theatre in Lincoln City will host the festival on Saturday, June 14.

The festival will feature a curated selection of films inspired by and focused on Bartow’s life and artwork.

“His color palettes are astonishing,” Barton said. “He was such an iconic character and he had overcome a lot in his later years including a stroke. His drive to paint was amazing. It has been fun to use the art from the foundation on our publicity items.”

Though Bartow worked in many locations over the course of his career, this studio held special significance. It provided solitude, inspiration and served as a backdrop for scenes in the short film “The Line and Legacy of Rick Bartow.”

“It was about a mile from here as the crow flies near Idaho Point,” Barton said. “Rick’s grandfather had come up here from California and settled on that land and three generations lived there. What we are trying to create is a studio that Rick himself built with help from friends.”

The reconstruction was initiated by Michael Clark, a Yakona board member who has helped construct many structures on the property. 

“A dear friend of Rick’s had come to an agreement with the fellow who bought the family's land and asked if they would allow it to be salvaged for reconstruction,” Barton said. “We jumped at the opportunity.”

In a careful and respectful effort, the structure was deconstructed and more than 80 percent of its original materials were salvaged. The reconstructed studio will become a centerpiece of the HeART Connections art education program, continuing Bartow’s legacy of mentorship and creative exploration.

“Reuse can mean using the materials as their original purpose or for a new purpose,” said Olson, the preserve’s arts and engagement manager. “In this case, we are constructing the base from new materials and trying to create the outer surface with as much of the salvaged lumber and windows as is feasible.”

Though the outside will resemble Bartow’s studio, the inside will not house his art.

“When we do the dedication, we may bring some of his art out and display it and we have talked about a way to rotate some of his art but only on a one day at a time basis,” Barton said. “It’s just too valuable to risk leaving it out here.”

Barton said that, while the budget for the reconstruction has had “a few surprises,” the project is perfectly in line with the vision for the property.

“Bill and I knew early on that we’d wanted this to have an education component and every year another opportunity presents itself,” Barton said. “Last year I could not have foreseen the Bartow project but now it makes perfect sense and we are very excited about it.”

The couple’s commitment to conservation on the now greater than 450-acre property has driven some of the final decisions for the studio reconstruction.

“When we were drawing up the plans, there was the capability to add electricity,” Barton said. “I thought about it and decided no, because it could affect the wildlife, and opening the possibility of using it at night would also conflict with our desire to disturb the wildlife as little as possible.”

The Friday, June 6, event begins at 7 pm at the Newport Performing Arts Center, located at 777 West Olive Street. The Saturday, June 14, event begins at 10:30 am at The Bijou Theatre, located at 1624 NE Hwy. 101 in Lincoln City. Admission for both is $25, free with student ID. For more information and to see photos of the original studio and reconstruction progress, go to yakonaoregon.org/bartow-art-studio.