EV Charger by Sarah Robbins
Quarterly updates from our Public Art division. Find the other posts in this series here.
Welcome Summer! Longer, dryer, and warmer days mean going out and spending time with friends and family (or on your own) to enjoy the public artworks on display throughout the city. This edition we’re looking back at all of the spring art in bloom. We welcomed new artworks into the Civic Collection, including two new artworks as part of our work on Seattle Public Utilities’ Ship Canal Water Quality Project. New works by RYAN! Feddersen with the artist team of Preston Singletary and David Franklin were installed in Wallingford and Fremont/Queen Anne respectively. These works along with Vaughn Bell’s Connective Thread are in a series of temporary artworks and audio walking tour that our office has commissioned since 2020.
The warmer, dryer summer weather is also an opportunity for our Collections Management team to assess the over 400 artworks in the City’s collection and perform conservation work. As Seattle prepares for the FIFA World Cup, we are working to ensure that the artworks in the downtown core are looking their best so we can showcase our world-class collection to visitors. And if you have not done so already, be sure to visit the new Central Waterfront where we have new public artworks by Norie Sato, Buster Simpson, Oscar Tuazon and more.
In this edition:
- New Public Artworks
- Artist Selections
- New Projects
- Conservation Spotlight
- Civic Art Collection
- On View at City Galleries
New Public Artworks
New Artwork Ship Canal Water Quality Project (SCWQP)
The Ship Canal Water Quality Project (SCWQP) is a multi-year planning and coordination effort. The following artworks are funded with Seattle Public Utilities Drainage and Wastewater 1% for Art funds.
Connective Thread Artworks by Vaughn Bell, RYAN! Feddersen, Preston Singletary, and David Franklin
Locations: Various in Wallingford, Fremont, and Ballard
Seattle artist Vaughn Bell has served as lead artist and curator for a series of sidewalk inlay art medallions that illustrate themes of environmental stewardship in the SCWQP. Designs by Bell, RYAN! Feddersen, as well as Preston Singletary and David Franklin, are all created in steel and colored cement, serving as a connective thread above ground that follow the path of the underground utility work.
Petrel Guards the Water/Raven Steals the Water by Preston Singletary and David Franklin
Locations: 2nd Ave NW/N. Canal Street/Burke Gilman Trail and West Ewing Mini Park – 3500 3rd Ave W
This artwork tells the traditional Native story of “Petrel Guards the Water” and “Raven Steals the Water” through two large-scale canoe paddle sculptures. Constructed of glass and steel, they flank each side of the Lake Washington Ship Canal.
Overflow by RYAN! Feddersen
Location: Interlake Ave N and N 35th (Wallingford)
Overflow is a five-panel waterjet-cut steel art fence that illustrates connections between our water usage, city planning, hardscapes, waterways, and underground systems. The artwork features imagery developed through public engagement and shows the paths surface water might take from places of personal significance back to the ocean. Overflow forms a playful diagram that reminds us that even our smallest actions are connected within larger integral systems.
Cyanessence by Brian Borrello
Location: Longfellow Creek Natural Drainage System (Kenyon St & 24th Ave SW)
This site-specific, integrated public artwork in the Longfellow Drainage System was developed following extensive community outreach. Initiated in 2019, the finished artwork, which is a series of vertical steel sculptures, enhances greenspace, provides improved pedestrian lighting, and creates space for community to connect with neighbors and the surrounding habitat. Commissioned with Seattle Public Utilities 1% for Art Funds.
EV Charger and EV Charging Lots by Sarah Robbins
EV Charger Locations: Various Locations throughout the City
EV Lot Location: South Spokane Street and 4th Ave South
In 13 locations throughout the city, Seattle residents can use new electric vehicle chargers while enjoying mosaic artwork that celebrates the natural environment. The artist also created fencing artwork and ground plane artwork at the EV charging lot adjacent to the Seattle City Light South Service Station. Commissioned with Seattle City Light 1% for Art Funds.
Artist Selections
South Park Planning Artist Selected: Deborah Aschheim
In collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities (SPU), Deborah Aschheim was selected as Planning Artist for the South Park Water Quality Facility Project. Deborah will work in coordination with us and SPU in the coming months to engage with community members at summertime events to learn more about the neighborhood, environment, and the community’s dreams for the area.
California Culvert Artist Selected: Sarah Kavage
In collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities, Sarah Kavage was selected as the public artist for the Fauntleroy Creek Culverts Replacement Project. Sarah will spend the next year conducting community outreach and engagement to inform the development of an artwork at the California Ave project site.
Fresh Perspectives Teaching Artist Selected: Janet Miller
Fresh Perspectives is back, this time as a collaboration with Seattle Public Utilities. This paid summer arts residency program is designed for young adults aged 15-17 and will be led by artist and educator Janet Nechama Miller. This unique opportunity immerses youth participants in the world of curatorial practice and arts administration, culminating in a youth-curated gallery exhibition and community opening event at ARTS at King Street Station, scheduled to open Sep. 4, 2025.
FLOW Art along the Ship Canal Artists Selected: Amanda Lee and Glynn Rosenberg
As part of the Ship Canal Water Quality Project, Flow: Art Along the Ship Canal will transform construction fence into vibrant art galleries showcasing the talents of local Seattle artists.
Amanda Lee is a multidisciplinary artist known for her work in printmaking, book arts, and photography. Her evocative installations, inspired by sacred texts, transcendentalist paintings, and Indigenous knowledge, explore the intersection of these elements with print media and book art theory. Her family left their traditional home in the Nass River Valley, BC, in the mid-1900s and settled in Seattle, WA, as Urban Indians. She maintains studios in Seattle, WA and Minneapolis, MN.
Glynn Rosenberg is a muralist and fine artist based in Seattle, WA, whose work is inspired by the beauty and complexity of nature. Drawn to the tiny details of plants and animals, Rosenberg focuses on the patterns found in nature, emphasizing them through color, composition, and repetition. Rosenberg’s work seeks to deepen the connection between humanity and the natural world, while also reflecting on personal identity, gender, and social issues.
Seattle Center Sculpture Walk Artists Selected: Megan Prince, Morgan Madison, Teruko Nimura and Will Jewett
Now in its 11th year, this annual program works with public artists to create temporary works on the Seattle Center campus that delightfully “interrupt” and expand the visual experience of the visiting public. New temporary artwork will be installed in August 2025. Funded through Seattle Center 1% for Art and Artists at the Center funds.
New Projects
Two New Public Art Projects Coming to Pend Oreille County in partnership with Kalispel Tribe of Indians and Kalispel Metal Products
We’re thrilled to share that two exciting public art projects are now underway in Pend Oreille County—each celebrating the unique landscape, culture, and communities of the region. These projects are a collaboration between the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture, Seattle City Light, the Kalispel Tribe of Indians, and Kalispel Metal Products.
Boundary Dam Vista House – Honoring History and Heritage
This public art project will transform a large outdoor wall (7 feet high by 20 feet long) into a vibrant, welcoming installation that honors the natural environment and the deep cultural roots of the Kalispel people.
Usk Fish Hatchery – Connecting Conservation and Culture
Just down the road in Usk, a second artwork is in development at the Native Salmonid Conservation Facility. This state-of-the-art hatchery is a partnership between the Kalispel Tribe, Seattle City Light, and conservation leaders, focused on restoring native trout and protecting our watershed.
New Project: Raven Village Mural Project
We’ve partnering with Seattle City Light and Chief Seattle Club on the Raven Village Mural Project. 20 talented artists and artist teams—identified in collaboration with Chief Seattle Club—were invited to apply to bring this powerful community-centered artwork to life.
The Raven Village Mural Project will transform the Seattle City Light substation at 1414 Leary Way NW—home of Raven Village, a Tiny Home community serving Indigenous individuals and families experiencing homelessness. Through this piece, we hope to contribute to the vibrant, welcoming, and inspiring space created by Chief Seattle Club through public art.
Conservation Spotlight
Highlights from the 20+ conservation projects completed in the last few months. Summer is our busy season, so more are in the queue.
Highlights from March, April, and May 2025
Bear (Totem), 1973
Artist: Duane Pasco
Location: Occidental Park in Downtown Seattle
Graffiti removal using walnut shell blasting is an advanced surface treatment process that utilizes finely ground walnut shells as an abrasive medium. This method is highly effective for cleaning, deburring, and preparing a wide variety of surfaces, from hard metals to delicate surfaces like fiberglass. The process involves propelling walnut shell particles at high velocity against a surface using compressed air, resulting in a thorough yet gentle cleaning action. Unlike traditional abrasive blasting methods, walnut shell blasting offers a sustainable solution that’s as kind to the environment as it is effective on stubborn contaminants.
Escape Destinations, 2019
Artist: Janet Zweig
Location: Urban Triangle Park in Downtown Seattle
Completed repair and update to the electrical and mechanical units within the artwork. The two artworks have an internal “bus blind” that changes daily showcasing 100+ different fictional locations.
Hammering Man, 1992
Artist: Jonathan Borofsky
Location: Seattle Art Museum Plaza in Downtown Seattle
Completed annual maintenance of mechanical elements and cleaning of exterior.
Equality, 1995-96
Artist: Rolon Bert Garner and Ken Leback
Location: Sturgus Park, Beacon Hill
Completed cleaning and vandalism repair (before and after photos)
Fountain of Seseragi, 2000
Artist: Gerard Tsutakawa
Location: Seattle Center
Completed cleaning and rewaxing of bronze surface.
Stream Echo, 1999
Artist Thomas Jay
Location: Adjacent to Fauntleroy Ferry, West Seattle
Competed concrete repair and replacement of missing stones.
Whirlygigs, 1973
Artists: Emil & Veva Gehrke
Location: Viewland-Hoffman Substation, North Seattle
Repair of existing artwork.
Bird Song Listening Station, 2008
Artist: Douglas Taylor
Location: Seattle Center
Sound restored and listening dome repaired and re-attached.
Naramore Fountain
Artist: George Tsutakawa
Location: Freeway Park, Downtown
Artwork was vandalized and a section cut off and stolen. The fountain was removed and will be replaced when the fountain is repaired by Seattle Parks and Recreation.
Civic Art Collection
The City owns a collection of over 4,000 individual works of art that are continually displayed throughout City offices, public spaces, and City-managed galleries. Over 275 artworks were moved in the last few months throughout City offices and below are just a few examples.
Francis Celentano, Untitled (Epsilon #1) and Jacob Lawrence, Grand Performance, 1993, Color lithograph, 26 1/2 x 19 3/4 in. (67.3 x 50.2 cm), Seattle City Light 1% for Art Portable Works Collection
On View at City Galleries
Seattle Municipal Tower Gallery
Essentially Seattle: SPU Part II
April 4 – July 1, 2025
Location: 700 5th Avenue in Seattle Municipal Gallery, 3rd Floor
During the mandated restrictions on physical movement and gatherings of the COVID-19 pandemic, we hired photographers to document essential city services. Titled Essentially Seattle, the intent was twofold: 1) to showcase the diverse group of City frontline employees who kept essential services “on”, allowing the residents of Seattle to shelter in place; and 2) to highlight Seattle’s cityscape and infrastructure that residents utilized for refuge, to uplift, find solace, and connection during social distancing. This exhibit is extended through July 1.
Ethnic Heritage Art Gallery
Katsuyuki Shibata: Understated Beauty of The Pacific Northwest and Beyond
Exhibition Dates: April 16 – late July, 2025
Location: 700 Fifth Avenue, Third Floor Seattle Municipal Tower Arcade Level
Extended through late July, read more about Katsuyuki Shibata’s Understated Beauty of The Pacific Northwest and Beyond.
Artist website: https://eastmeetswest.smugmug.com
