Hanging just above the divider between the kitchen and the dining room at Tamarisk Restaurant in Green River, UT (the restaurant’s tagline is: Great Food with a Great View [of the river]) is a large well-lighted marquee sign “Rural and Proud.”
Each rural town is unique. ChinaTown is not San Francisco. But San Francisco is not without ChinaTown. Even though both Ogden and Green River, Utah are at the intersections of railroads and resources, the consequences and culture differ. There are architects and artists in Salt Lake, Ogden and Provo, but as a percentage of population Green River, Utah may have more design-thinkers than the three large Utah cities.
Maria Sykes is one of the artists and architects living in Green River. After graduating in architecture at Auburn University in Alabama, Maria came to Green River as a volunteer with Americorps. She fell in love with the area and after her volunteer service ended she chose to stay in this town of around 1,000 people because she felt her contributions and efforts could be meaningful in a broad and deep way. More so than if she were an architect with a big firm in a big city; working as much to polish the veneer of the city as to contribute to the foundations of the town.
Syke’s firm Epicenter is a 501(c)(3) –a not for profit public charity– and which allows partnership arrangements with school districts, the town of Green River, the county, and other public and private enterprises in ways that are not allowed with for-profit entities.
In Green River small projects have an outsize impact. New storm windows and a repaired roof designed, financed, and built by Epicenter make a big difference to Karen Smith whose needs and cares are easily lost in the background noise of a large city.
Tamarisk Restaurant got startup assistance, marketing and design services from Epicenter for its business and the rental units attached to the restaurant.
In Green River, Utah, Epicenter and Maria Sykes are making dents in the universe for good.
