Meet artist Susan Robb as she introduces the bike rack Parking Squid, 4:30 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, May 31 at the Harrison Street entrance of Seattle Center. Come raise a glass, help “christen” the artwork and celebrate safe biking for all. Parking Squid is located on the north side of the EMP Museum.

Parking Squid provides parking for bicycles within the tentacles of a deep-sea creature that might be found at the depths of Puget Sound. The artwork is one of six temporary artworks presented by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs that illustrate how artists are shaping the conversation around environmental sustainability for The Next Fifty, the 50th anniversary of the 1962 World’s Fair. The galvanized steel Parking Squid provides bike parking for The Next Fifty at Seattle Center through October 21.

Robb creates innovative artwork that articulates the relationship between landscape and object through investigations of environment, materials and contemporary social issues. Her work is in private and public collections.

Parking Squid addresses the expanding need for bicycle parking, as identified in the Seattle Department of Transportation’s (SDOT) Bicycle Master Plan. SDOT is currently updating the Bicycle Master Plan, which aims to triple the number of people bicycling in Seattle over 10 years. Take a short online survey or use an interactive mapping tool to inform SDOT of needed bicycle improvements.  

Parking Squid is commissioned with SDOT 1% for Art funds and administered by the Seattle Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.

Image: Susan Robb, Parking Squid, 2011. Located at the Harrison Street entrance of Seattle Center. Photo courtesy of the artist.