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the community" to re-address the idea of community.

"With the election over, the end of the year, our first anniversary, it just felt like the right time for this," said Scudder. "After the election, I kept hearing people say, ‘I’m leaving the country’ or whatever. Well, we’re all here, and we have to do something. And the tools we have are each other."

While working on his project — Scudder said he’ll be practically living in the space — the gallery will be open to anyone interested in checking on the progress of the model. Anyone who visits, however, will be asked to fill out a questionnaire designed to help the SCICA tap the voice of the community.

"Basically, what we’re asking is: What can we do to build community?" said Scudder.

In the end, the information from the questionnaires will be reprinted in a book while the original questionnaires will be used in the SoWat model itself, as filler in the roof-less buildings.

Scudder is careful not to create the idea that he is building a detailed model of downtown, like something you’d find in a model train set.

He wants to get the architectural layout of the downtown area right — he’s using his own photographs and blown-up architectural renderings for reference. But, he pointed out, he’s doing a sculpture, an abstract piece which will painted entirely a deep, vibrant blue.

Blue, as in blue-states? Or, as in "depressed, down in the dumps?"

Neither, said Scudder. "Blue is the color of the fifth chakra, which represents creativity."

In the past year, Scudder and Chip have opened five galleries downtown (though not all remain open) with little more than enthusiasm and gumption. They’ve also been a part of the opening of the Attic, a new performance space/teahouse above the Blue Lagoon on Pacific Avenue.

Their purpose from the beginning was to create an artistic culture in the area they’ve dubbed SoWat, to initiate a buzz in Santa Cruz County and up and down the West Coast that Santa Cruz is the center of an active creative community.

The "Blue Ma-Quette" project is also being used as a fund-raiser for the SCICA with a goal to reach $20,050 by the beginning of 2005. What Scudder and Chip do next largely depends on what happens with this project. They’re hoping the questionnaires give them inspiration for another effort at attention-grabbing community building.

"I’m one of those people," said Scudder. "I’ll see something to do, and I’ll just do it. Stop sitting around in coffeehouses and complaining, get out and do something. If everyone in Santa Cruz gave just one hour a week to do something for community work, that would be 65,000 man-hours a week. Think of what could be done with that."

Contact Wallace Baine at wbaine@santacruzsentinel.com.
If You Go

WHAT: ‘Blue Ma-Quette,’ under construction, scale model of downtown Santa Cruz.

WHERE: ? Gallery, 1101 Pacific Ave., Santa Cruz: SCICA gallery on Cathcart Street (behind the UC Extension building facing the parking lot).

WHEN: Through Dec. 31.