"Family" in 2025 before the final touches were added in 2026 Meet the Puyallup artist, Saturday, Nov. 14
Seattle, WA – Last year, Qwalsius-Shaun Peterson (Puyallup) installed Family on Seattle’s waterfront. One of nine public art commissions as part of the Seattle Waterfront art program, it creates a sense of place inviting residents and visitors to explore the waterfront. The final elements of the piece, powder-coated aluminum panels cut with patterns drawn from Coast Salish imagery, are now in place. Join us at the dedication and artist meet and greet on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 1 PM.
“Native people have survived many obstacles with attempts to erase them from history,” said artist Qwalsius-Shaun Peterson. “I am filled with pride knowing the work I make has a history that the ancestors of the land will relate to and the coming generation will grow up with, and bridge that gap as we continue to survive, as we always do.”
Located on the Waterfront Park Promenade, across from Pier 58 at Union Street, these three figures stand 10-12 feet tall, facing the gravesite of Chief Sealth across the water. The carved cedar sculptures represent a mother, father, and child. The artworks welcome visitors and remind us that the Seattle waterfront is located on Coast Salish homelands.
“Art is woven into and a reflection of our city’s identity,” said Amy Nguyen, Office of Arts & Culture director. Barbara Lee, Office of Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit director said, “Qwalsius-Shaun Peterson’s Family beautifully grounds our newly built public space in the deep cultural history of this shoreline.”
Family was commissioned with Central Waterfront 1% for Art. The project was administered by the Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit and the Office of Arts & Culture. The 11/14 dedication event is free and open to the public.
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About the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture
Formed in 1971 with a mission to activate and sustain Seattle through arts and culture, the Seattle Office of Arts & Culture (OAC) manages the City’s public art program, cultural partnerships grant programs, The Creative Advantage arts education initiative, and cultural facilities such as the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute and ARTS at King Street Station.
In alignment with the City’s Race and Social Justice Initiative, OAC seeks new solutions that use arts as a strategy to drive not only the office, but the City as a whole toward racial equity and social justice. OAC will continue to break barriers and build arts-integrated tools that challenge the status quo and push us toward the inclusive society we envision.
OAC is supported by the 16-member Seattle Arts Commission, citizen volunteers appointed by the Mayor and City Council.
About the Seattle Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit
The Seattle Office of the Waterfront, Civic Projects and Sound Transit led all design and construction efforts for rebuilding Seattle’s central waterfront, a once-in-a-generation transformation that reshaped our public space and strengthened our city’s identity.
This City team designed and constructed more than 25 projects on the waterfront over the last 15 years, creating twenty acres of new public spaces that reconnect Downtown to the waterfront providing a more accessible, green, and active waterfront with a variety of spaces for people to recreate, relax, and learn about the important history of the area.