Flavors of Diversity & Colors of Community by Nahom Ghirmay

Since September 2022, twelve local artists have participated in the Public Art Boot Camp project managed by the Office of Arts & Culture (ARTS). These individuals took a variety of workshops and trainings (available online) including how to develop concept proposals, how to hire subcontractors, post-installation rights and responsibilities, as well as working through all aspects of a temporary art commission.

We are pleased to celebrate their hard work and invite you explore their art, now on view within the Beacon Hill Greenway and Seattle Center Campus. This temporary public artwork will be on view through February 2024 at Seattle Center and August 2024 in Beacon Hill.

Art Interruptions Along the Beacon Hill Greenway

Release, Receive, Return by Vulgar Dreamer

Vulgar Dreamer created five sculptures that take viewers on a calming journey of celebrating the diverse Beacon Hill neighborhood as a place of healing. These sculptures serve as helpful signs while also honoring the meaningful connections made during grassroots events in the neighborhood throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resting in Relation by E.T. Russian

Resting in Relation by E.T. Russian is an invitation to relax in connection with the environment, with oneself, and with others. This piece serves as a reminder that rest is for everyone and spaces for rest are needed everywhere. The concept for this project comes from disability justice culture and the work of the Nap Ministry.

Brave To Be You! by Ai-Chun Huang

Ai-Chun Huang is an interdisciplinary artist, designer, and educator from Taiwan. She graduated from National Taiwan University of Arts with a Master of Fine Arts. She is interested in experimental animations, digital installation, paintings, soundscape, and public art. Her artworks focus on life limitations and social expectations from a female Asian perspective and use metaphors from Asian cultural icons.

Internetted by Lee Davignon

Spanning the fence line on the bike trail between Jefferson Park and Beacon Food Forest, Internetted by Lee Davignon celebrates our city’s connective infrastructure and the labor that goes into building it. Inspired by structures of baskets and weaving, this work is made from electrical cords and zip ties.

Interwoven by Hans Amor

Banigs are traditional Filipino sleeping mats that symbolize the warmth and safety of the home. These banigs, however, represent the coldness of the spaces made by the separation of hundreds of Filipinos from their loved ones for the false promise of a better life 1928. We will never fully understand what they experienced during the death voyage, but like these woven banigs, we are interwoven with those from the past. Through their longing for home, we can call Seattle home. Through their perseverance and strength, we are all raised to be steadfast. Through their pain and forced sacrifice, we are here.

Flavors of Diversity & Colors of Community by Nahom Ghirmay

This installation celebrates the rich diversity and harmonious coexistence of unique cultures within the neighborhood. Inspired by the vibrant colors and lively atmosphere of a spice market witnessed in Eritrea, the artwork serves as a powerful symbol of unity, inviting viewers to embrace the beauty and interconnectedness of different cultural experiences.

Medosweet RV’s by JoEllen Wang

Medosweet RV’s is the temporary home to a “camper fluffle“ (a collection of RV-shaped bunnies.) Made of re-molded milk jugs and repurposed blue tarp, this installation stems from the artist’s curiosity about the negative perception of nomadic living and her desire for more ways to include more people in communities.

Neighbors by Morgan Madison

Morgan Madison’s artwork is driven by curiosity. Inspired by the colorful history and diversity of Beacon Hill, he felt compelled to create a sculpture that celebrates this character, much like a bunch of balloons announcing a party. Neighbors is comprised of seven unique balloons, their diversity reflecting the rich tapestry of this neighborhood. Each one is eye-catching alone; together they are more than the sum of their parts, resonating a vibrant and joyful experience, just as neighbors come together to create the dynamic community that is Beacon Hill.

Sculpture Walk at Seattle Center

The Bird Catcher by Sara Dobbs

The Bird Catcher is a series of wooden sculptures located in the Seattle Center’s Founders Court. The series uses goldfinches and a frame to visually explore an attempt to capture nature. The pieces are two-sided, divided between painted and unpainted areas, showing the tension between the natural world and constructed limitations.

Zuihitsu: Memories and Stories of Migration by Amiko Matsuo

The handmade furin windchimes are an offering – a visual and sonic space for reflection about the places we come from and where we come together. Through our migrations and inward journeys, the red thread connects our chance encounters and dreams. A zuihitsu is Japanese contemplative literary form characterized by loosely associated fragments of text.

Obligate by Renee Adams

Mistletoe has a long folkloric history with ties to the Christmas tradition. It is also a parasitic plant with over 1,500 species worldwide and a food source for birds. This stylized version of the plant welcomes you to kiss below it.

Medicinal: A Public Art Offering by Io Palmer

Medicinal: A Public Art Offering is made up of hundreds of laser cut plexiglass forms. Inspired by the medicinal herb garden on the University of Washington campus, this hanging installation references nature’s innate ability to heal, restore, and thrive.

Public Art Boot Camp was initiated in 2023 (known as the Emerging Public Artists Roster Program) to introduce artists to the idea of a practice of public art and has refocused it’s goal since 2015 to advance racial equity by centering artist of color and providing them information and experience the need to enter the niche world of public art. Art Interruptions is biennial program funded through SDOT % for Art and places temporary artwork in and around Neighborhood Greenways. Sculpture Walk is an annual program funded through the Seattle Center % for Art.