“Welcome to Mckinley Hill” sculpture

Back at the beginning of the summer I applied to be a part of Spaceworks’ McKinley Hill public art training cohort. One of my goals this year was to start working towards doing more public art, and I’d gone to a couple trainings earlier in the year through both the library and ArtsWa, but this was a really comprehensive training that gave cohort members the opportunity to submit proposals for public art in McKinley hill and get feedback on the proposals, and learn in a hands-on way while also learning directly from artists actively working in public art. I was thrilled when I got into the cohort and we spent hours in the neighborhood, listening to public artists, community members, and walking the streets of McKinley Hill to get an idea for temporary public artworks we might want to propose. Cohort members had the exclusive opportunity to submit proposals for five temporary public art pieces, plus one permanent public art installation.

When I saw the spot at the top of the hill coming into McKinley from the dome and heard about the long term goal for the neighborhood to have permanent gateway sculptures at the north and south end of the business district creating a touchpoint for those traveling to welcome them to the neighborhood, I knew I wanted to propose a temporary welcome sculpture. It was the perfect spot for a welcome sculpture, being revealed as people drive around the sweeping corner up the hill from the dome district, as well as right beside bus stops on both sides of the street for folks coming into and leaving the neighborhood via mass transit. I initially planned on pitching two temporary art pieces— a welcome sculpture, and then a street mural in the right of way in the middle of the business district, but when I was planning the sculpture I realized I wanted to merge the two ideas and have one side of the sculpture incorporate the mural.

During our cohort training we heard from the neighborhood’s council member as well as community members and it was apparent how deeply the community cared for the neighborhood and how hard they had worked to build it up and invest in making it a thriving and safe place for those who call the area home. The Audre Lorde quote felt like the perfect encapsulation of the spirit of the neighborhood that I witnessed, and I intentionally chose specific imagery that symbolize the work that has been put into this neighborhood.

Kelp: Powerful growth that has a strong anchor in place.
Banana Slug: Slow and steady forward movement.
Ferns: Nature’s fractals showing how small changes compound into larger ones.
Poppies: Remembrance for community members lost, and hope for the future.
Dove + Olive Branch: Peace.
Broken Chain: structural oppression broken through community support. 

This sculpture will live here for about six months, and will then be uninstalled (perhaps we’ll find another home for it if it’s still in good condition!). If you want to go take a look, it’s about a block north of Dusty’s Hideaway!

Huge thank you to my parents, my partner Dan, and our friend Calvin for teaming up with me to get this behemoth installed! And thank you to Jasmine and Spaceworks for allowing me this opportunity, and Rebecca at the City of Tacoma for supporting me through this process! None of this would’ve come to life without the support from these awesome people.