The Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS), in partnership with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), selected emerging artist Sarah Thompson Moore to develop site-specific, site-integrated permanent artwork that will be incorporated into the restored ground plane of the Alki Pump Station.  The Alki Pump Station is located on the 1411 Alki Ave SW adjacent to the beach and serves an important function to address and limit combined-sewer overflows.  The artist noted that the popular waterfront location allows her to “design an experience that will heighten the viewer’s sense of the surrounding environment and the history of the site while also drawing connections to the human/water relationship and SPU’s role in maintaining that relationship.” Thompson Moore will work with the project team, and community members to develop, fabricate, and install artwork that is expected to be installed in early 2021. 

The Alki Pump Station Project is intended to improve the existing pump station to meet the needs of the growing area, improvements include upgrades to mechanical, electrical, structural, and civil elements below ground and restore sidewalk, pavement, and landscaping areas above ground. The project will address the health and safety needs of the neighborhood as well as provide an opportunity for public art in the community.

Sarah Thompson Moore was born in Eastern Oregon and now makes her home in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  Her studies have taken her to Florence, Italy and later, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where she obtained her BFA in Sculpture from the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.  A trained bronze foundry artisan and master mold-maker, Thompson Moore’s early work involved comprehensive study of the figure for which she has received awards and private commissions.  This technical background established the foundation from which she has expanded her creative practice to include more experimental materials and concepts, giving preference to the process of creating as well as to the experience of viewing.