美国国家公共电台 NPR--A Texas town gets its portrait on a silo

A Texas town gets its portrait on a silo

Transcript¹

I've always liked silos. Exotic, to this Manhattanite. But artist Guido van Helten is obsessed² with them. He's made them canvases for giant murals in Iowa, Arkansas, Finland, Jordan, Denmark and his native Australia. He often turns to old, abandoned silos in small towns. The latest — in McKinney, Texas — stored grain once. Now, the silo's eight canisters introduce passers-by (and locals) to the spirit and people of the place.

Van Helten starts by interviewing and photographing residents. "I meet people, try to get a bit of character of the place." He sorts through hundreds of black and white photos, "seeing which ones will fit the space." And then he chooses maybe 20 pictures, and combines parts of them, to paint on a 90-foot high silo.

Photos of his project prompt thoughts about silos. They're landmarks³. They stand for safe-keeping, sustenance⁴, security. They're storing the future. And by painting some with strong, evocative images, he's made them literal signs of home.

Van Helten's Texas mural shows several McKinneyans at a town celebration of Juneteenth. "People interacting," he says, "and moving and walking. It shows layers."

A major figure is a pretty young African American woman, an arm behind her back, looking over her shoulder at viewers. It's an unselfconscious look. She's comfortable where she stands.

The muralist has themes for his silo art: public housing, education, desegregation. For McKinney the theme is "Community." The town is changing. Its population jumped from 35,000 to 210,000 in just a few years. Mostly Republican, with lots of civic⁵ pride. It sits some 30 miles from Dallas, off Highway 5 — once the main way to go north or south. Mayor George Fuller and other town leaders think the silos could bring together McKinney's white, Black and Hispanic population. And attract tourists. "We saw this as a tremendous opportunity" the mayor says.

McKinney's economy is diverse: it includes Raytheon, a big copper⁶ wire company, hospitals, tech. Plus a proud history of production. There once was a flour mill, a cotton mill. "We were the lollipop⁷ capital," Mayor Fuller points out, with pride. "We were the blue jean capital of the world at one point." More Mayoral pride. "We've done it all here in McKinney, Texas."

In the historic downtown now you'll find lots of owner-run businesses and restaurants plus a concentration on the arts. Galleries. Musicians. And now Guido van Helten's really stunning⁸ painted silos — a salute⁹ to the place's past, and a new and powerful act of artistic¹⁰ preservation¹¹.

Almost done, save for a question this reporter just had to ask.

"Do you make a nice bourbon?"

"Yes we do! We make some great beer too."

Sounds as if they really have done it all in McKinney, Texas.

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

3 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

4 sustenance   

n.食物，粮食；生活资料；生计

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• The urban homeless are often in desperate need of sustenance.城市里无家可归的人极其需要食物来维持生命。

5 civic   

adj.城市的，都市的，市民的，公民的

参考例句：

• I feel it is my civic duty to vote.我认为投票选举是我作为公民的义务。
• The civic leaders helped to forward the project.市政府领导者协助促进工程的进展。

6 copper   

n.铜；铜币；铜器；adj.铜(制)的；(紫)铜色的

参考例句：

• The students are asked to prove the purity of copper.要求学生们检验铜的纯度。
• Copper is a good medium for the conduction of heat and electricity.铜是热和电的良导体。

7 lollipop   

n.棒棒糖

参考例句：

• The child put out his tongue and licked his lollipop.那孩子伸出舌头舔着棒棒糖。
• I ate popcorn,banana and lollipop.我吃了爆米花、香蕉和棒棒糖。

8 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

9 salute   

vi.行礼，致意，问候，放礼炮；vt.向…致意，迎接，赞扬；n.招呼，敬礼，礼炮

参考例句：

• Merchant ships salute each other by dipping the flag.商船互相点旗致敬。
• The Japanese women salute the people with formal bows in welcome.这些日本妇女以正式的鞠躬向人们施礼以示欢迎。

10 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

11 preservation   

n.保护，维护，保存，保留，保持

参考例句：

• The police are responsible for the preservation of law and order.警察负责维持法律与秩序。
• The picture is in an excellent state of preservation.这幅画保存得极为完好。