The Office of Arts & Culture in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) and the Department of Finance and Administrative Services (FAS) will commission artist Wayne Chabre to design and install a new site specific artwork for the new Cedar Falls Administration Building at the Cedar River Watershed. Chabre will work collaboratively with Cedar Falls staff to create an artwork installation utilizing materials harvested from within the watershed.

Wayne Chabre creates figurative and narrative sculptures in cast bronze, fabricated steel, copper, aluminum, and brass. He has specialized in architectural and garden sculpture for over 30 years. Chabre’s artwork is featured at Seattle’s Fire Station 28; and he has completed commissions for the Washington State University, Vancouver campus, and Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

SPU’s Cedar Falls Facilities are located approximately 30 miles east of Seattle, and ten miles south of North Bend, Washington, within the hydrological boundary of the Cedar River Watershed. These facilities support critical functions in the Seattle Public Utilities (SPU) Water Supply System, the first of three major components of SPU’s system to transport water from its source to consumers. The new Administration Building at Cedar Falls will improve efficiency, safety, and communication for the current staff while establishing the infrastructure and foundational resources capable of supporting ongoing improvements over the facility’s second century of operation.

Chabre was selected by a panel of artists, design professionals, and Cedar Falls (SPU) staff. The project is commissioned with SPU 1% for Art funds.

Image: Wailing Bell, 1996, Washington State University, Vancouver, WA Campus. Bronze, Locust, Yew, steel. 17′ x 12′ x 2′. Photo: Artist