Famed Bulgarian-born artist Christo has dropped his plan to drape nearly 6 miles of the Arkansas River with shimmering cloth, stirring mixed reactions among environmental and governmental groups.
“After pursuing Over The River, Project for the Arkansas River, State of Colorado, for 20 years and going through five years of legal arguments, I no longer wish to wait on the outcome,” Christo, 81, announced in a statement online.
The controversial project that was first conceived in 1992 by Christo and his late wife, Jeanne-Claude, has been mired in legal battles as opponents feared the environmental impacts of the 14-day installation above the river between Salida and Cañon City that would take 2½ years to build.
Christo told The New York Times that he decided to stop the project, which is on federal land, because he did not want it to benefit its new “landlord,” President Donald Trump. Instead, the artist announced that he wants to focus on his only permanent large-scale installation, “The Mastaba,” in Abu Dhabi, the capital of United Arab Emirates.
From Denver Post: http://www.denverpost.com/2017/01/25/christo-over-the-river-project-halted/