Established in the heart of Ellensburg’s historic downtown district, Dick and Jane’s Spot is home to an eccentric folk garden occupied with treasured masterpieces made from seemingly useless items collected in town throughout the years.

Having been collectors for over 25 years, Jane Orelman and Dick Elliot use recycled material like bottle caps, telephone poles and bicycle wheels to create a peculiar fence around their home.

“We’ve always been collectors,” Orleman, artist and cofounder of Dick and Janes Spot said in a home documentary. “We’ve collected art for 20 years. I don’t think there’s any way to stop.”

With close to 200,000 visitors in its twenty-seven years of production this art habitat has grown to play a significant role in maintaining Ellensburg’s traditional and artistic demeanor.

Created by the folk artist couple in 1978, this spot was originally a neglected building on the outskirts of Pearl Street with boarded windows and an unkempt yard. Dick and Jane saw this derelict appearance as an opportunity for a newfound home and an artist’s playground.

“When I was a kid, I never heard of anybody who was alive who was an artist,” Orleman said, “and so I liked the fact that in this town when kids see this place, they know that an artist is something people can become.”

Over the years, Dick and Jane’s home flourished into a garden of pop art with contributions from over forty local Northwest artists. Although Dick passed away in 2008, Jane still resides in the home, continuously creating and showcasing new art.

Currently, the home is covered with hundreds of broken mirror pieces, bottle cap mosaics, carved telephone poles and painted bicycle frames.

“One time, a whole group of people came here after a funeral,” Orleman said. ”It was their dad’s favorite place; he really liked it. He had been saving some bottle caps for us so they brought by these bottle cap.”

With features ranging from local newspapers to Forbes magazine, Dick and Jane’s Spot is an authentic art exhibit that represents the great imagination of the Pacific Northwest.

“It’s really a place you can walk around to clear your mind. This place is inspiring in its own weird way,” Marisa Spencer, elementary and special ed major said. “Especially during these sunny fall days, it really makes you appreciate how beautiful the Pacific Northwest is.”

Standing by their life philosophy, that one hearty laugh is worth ten trips to the doctor, Dick and Jane’s Spot hopes to inspires and encourages visitors to live with humor and creativity.

“Some people think we are totally insane,” Elliot said in the documentary created in 1990. “Until you actually see, and have the light work magic on you, then you say Ah-ha! Now I get it! You know? Things blow in the wind and the flowers are as much apart of the whole unit as individual art pieces.”

Jane reminds visitors that what you see from fence is what you get and asks everyone to enjoy her home from a respectful distance. Located on North Pearl Street across from the police station, Dick and Jane’s spot is always welcoming visitors of all ages to ponder the artwork of local artists and get in touch with their own creativity.