‘Christo Voyage’ coming down the Russian River

There’s an eye-opening scene in the documentary “Running Fence” that unfolds in a race against time.

As the film chronicles the journey of artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude and their much-debated 1976 art installation across Sonoma County, a ragtag crew scrambles to erect one section of the 24.5-mile fabric fence before a judge’s verdict might shut them down. Suddenly several workers look as if they might be yanked off the ground by a fierce gust of wind as they muster all their strength to pull down the billowing white fabric and attach it to a bottom wire.

“We can fight the wind — it’s man against nature, troops!” one of them yells.

Harnessing that same unpredictable West County wind, River’s Edge Kayak and Canoe owners Kim and Dave Lockhart are repurposing a portion of “Running Fence” fabric into a boat sail to launch the inaugural Christo Voyage from Healdsburg to Jenner.

The weeklong Russian River trek will start with a moonlight paddle on May 14 and end with a screening of brothers Albert and David Maysles’ documentary “Running Fence” on May 21 at the Monte Rio Theater. Participants can drop in for opening and closing day events or go all in by joining four-day and seven-day trips down the river.

“More than 40 years ago, the ‘Running Fence’ brought people together on a journey to the sea,” said Kim Lockhart, who also works in the Sony Pictures marketing department.

“Now we’re hoping to bring people back to the river after what has been a long two years. It’s easy to forget, but this river connects people and bonds them in a way that nothing else can.”

‘Running Fence’ remnants

During the pandemic, the Lockharts relocated from Santa Monica to Sonoma County, first buying River’s Edge in Healdsburg and later purchasing the Monte Rio Theater.

At the theater, they found a long, dusty swath of “Running Fence” that had been hanging in the rafters of the Quonset-hut building since the late ’70s, when Christo gave it to then-owner Thomas Dean.

Barbara Gonnella was in high school when the long-haired, bespectacled Bulgarian artist came to her family’s ranch near Dillon Beach to ask her father, Ed Pozzi, for permission to run his fence across their land.

“My dad didn’t get it at first,” she said. “He interpreted it as Christo was looking for work to build a fence for hire.”

The Pozzi family had immigrated from Northern Italy. Ed Pozzi knew a lot about dairy and sheep farming but hadn’t spent much time studying conceptual art installations. But once he understood Christo’s vision, Pozzi helped unite other ranchers in what became a battle between private landowners and local governments they felt were telling them what they could and could not do with their land.

“Their bond became a beloved friendship for life,” Gonnella said. She remembers after her father died, Christo was one of the first people to reach out to her and send flowers.

Barbara and her husband Frank Gonnella now own the Union Hotel in Occidental, where Christo often stopped in for roast duck while he lived in Sonoma County. In his honor, Barbara plans to take a picnic — most likely bruschetta instead of duck — to the Christo voyagers at a river pit stop.

For Christo and Jeanne-Claude, his wife and lifelong partner in art, the journey was as much a part of the artwork as the end result was, especially when you consider the actual “fence” only stayed up for two weeks. It’s what Christo was talking about when he told attendees at a contentious Sonoma County Board of Supervisors meeting, “The work is not only the fabric, the steel poles and the fence. The art project is right now, here. Everybody here is part of my work if they want it or don’t want it.”

River race reimagined

The Lockharts had originally planned to revive the Great Russian River Race, a popular fundraiser hosted in recent years by Russian Riverkeeper and other local nonprofits.

“But instead of a race with a winner, it’s about bringing people back together to celebrate what we share as a river community,” Kim Lockhart said.

For David Lockhart, a filmmaker who grew up vacationing at his family’s cabin in Odd Fellows Park every summer, the Christo Voyage is a chance to go to sleep and wake up on a different part of the Russian River every day.

“The point is to stop and interact with people and nature and all that each place has to offer, wherever we are, and really take in the whole landscape,” he said. Different stops will include fly-fishing, horseback riding and wine tasting, he added.

The expedition is also a meandering excuse to connect around-the-bend river communities, showing how Healdsburg is very different from Monte Rio, which is very different from Jenner. Paddlers joining the journey will stay at River Bend Resort, Wildhaven Sonoma, AutoCamp Russian River, Casa Secoya and the Jenner Inn.

“I think slowing it down the way we are, it will be less focused on physical exhaustion and endurance and more about being able to pause and appreciate the ecosystems and history and local food along the way,” said Cazadero river guide Mandy Benbow, who will be leading the expedition. The manager of Gold Coast Coffee and Bakery in Duncans Mills, she has also led excursions in Grand Canyon, Grand Teton and Arches national parks.

Most people usually experience the Russian River in piecemeal fashion, she said, whether visiting popular spots like Johnson’s Beach in Guerneville or Memorial Beach in Healdsburg for the day.

“I usually have to squeeze in kayaking between work or other things, so to be able to focus on the river for a week will be really nice,” Benbow said.

Andrea Schell, who is traveling from Los Angeles for the seven-day Christo Voyage, is looking forward to the trip as way to push beyond late-pandemic malaise.

“I feel like I’m still coming out of the ‘COVIDness’ of life,” she said. “And I’m hoping it might be like a reset button, that idea of resetting for fun and being with people again.”

This will be the journey and the passage beyond each turn in the river that Christo would have enjoyed, Gonnella said.

This May 31 marks the two-year anniversary of Christo’s death. Reading his obituary soon after discovering the “Running Fence” remnants inspired Kim Lockhart during the early, dark days of COVID-19 in 2020.

“He was a symbol of fearlessness and being committed to your vision even if no one else can understand it,” she said.

Looking back on Christo’s visits to the Pozzi family ranch decades ago, Gonnella said, “I think Christo would embrace this journey, and if he were still alive, he would be standing on the river with us.”

John Beck is a Bay Area journalist and filmmaker. You can reach him at john-beck.com.