Studio Concepts

Local homeschooling field trip maven Kim Railey organized a fabulous tour of Studio Concepts, a NW Portland company that has the distinction of making most of the floats for the Grand Floral Parade. They are putting finishing touches on the float frames, which will soon be covered with flowers.  The floats have to be covered with all natural materials, so some are coated with naturally colored seeds and rice, or even dyed coconut.   The company stays busy all year long making floats which are transported by truck all over the country.  The floats cost $15,000 to $60,000 but they have made floats for the Tournament of Roses for $350,000!  If you are 14 or older, and you have at least 3 hours to spare, they are grateful for volunteers to come on the final days before the parade to assist with attaching the flowers to the floats.  http://www.studioconcepts.com/  Above is a picture of the first bicycle powered float!  Yes, that's Portlandia in a bicycle helmet.  Spirit Mountain commissioned a much larger than life statue of a real Native American princess to ride on their float with the real girl, and supplied photos for the artist.  They showed us the pictures of the real child and the finished (but still unpainted) statue's head.  It was an amazing inside look at a beloved local celebration and a unique art form.  For more on Kim's field trips, check out her website: http://www.homeschoolingeventsandmore.com/