Resident asks Prineville council to light Bruce Corrigan sculpture at county plaza

Shane Mitchell, a Prineville resident who said he has worked in fine art handling and lighting design, asked the Prineville City Council to pursue a low‑cost lighting retrofit to illuminate two Bruce Corrigan bronze sculptures at the county plaza.

Mitchell told the council the sculptures “would just come alive at night like you wouldn't believe” if narrow, exterior‑grade LED spot fixtures were run from the front conduit booms around the county building and into the back of the pieces. He suggested the work could cost about $2,500 and proposed seeking donations or a small grant and consulting the artist, Greg Kung.

The request matters because the sculptures are on public property near a county building and currently receive broad, flat plaza lighting that Mitchell said does not show the work’s open, rusted filigree. City staff said any change would involve coordination with Crook County because the fixtures would tie into conduit on the county building. Staff indicated they would reach out to the artist and the county and connect Mitchell with Planning Director Josh Smith to develop an implementation plan.

Mitchell described technical options and tradeoffs and emphasized that a small number of focused LED fixtures would achieve much of the desired effect without expensive concrete coring. “It’s probably just a matter of wrapping around the conduit and throwing two more beams out to the back of the piece,” he said.

Council members and staff did not take formal action on the request that night; the council asked staff to follow up with the county and the artist and to contact Mitchell to collect more details.

The matter may require coordination with Crook County and local electricians or unions if the county building’s electrical infrastructure is used; staff said they would return to the council with next steps if coordination proceeds.