Enjoy Public Art
Fifty years ago this week, the state legislature created the Art in Public Places program proposed by the Washington State Arts Commission. The AIPP purchases and cares for artworks in state buildings, colleges, universities, and schools throughout Washington. It now includes more than 5,000 works by locally, nationally, and internationally recognized artists, sited at 1,300 public locations.
The Washington State Arts Commission was established by the legislature in 1961, and in the 1970s it began exploring ways to create a permanent art collection for the state. When the AIPP was put in place, it was the second statewide "percent-for-art" program of its kind in the nation, following Hawaii. (The city of Seattle launched its 1 Percent for Art program in 1973.) In these programs, a small percentage of the capital construction costs of public buildings at colleges and universities, state agencies, and K-12 schools is set aside for the acquisition and permanent installation of artwork.
In 1975 the group commissioned its first work, Langskip Norseland Spirit (shown above), created by Washington artist Ken Lundemo for placement at Poulsbo Elementary School. Over the years, schools and other public buildings have featured works by many Northwest artists, including George Tsutakawa, Jacob Lawrence, Marvin Oliver, Phillip Levine, Lawney Reyes, Buster Simpson, and James Washington Jr.
The public helps select the program's artwork, and the collection includes works in a wide range of materials, styles, and sizes. Look around -- you might just find that you have some public art near where you live.
Mothers with Heart
May 12 is Mother's Day, a good time to note some mothers who left their mark on Washington state history. We begin with Mother Joseph and the Sisters of Providence, who arrived at Fort Vancouver in 1856 and went on to establish many of our state's first and largest hospitals. The state honored Mother Joseph with her own dedicated day in 1999.
Her example was followed by Mother Francesca Cabrini -- who became the first American saint in 1946 -- and by the founders of Seattle's Home of the Good Shepherd. Beyond the Catholic Church, women such as Mother Ollie Ryther and Anna Clise responded to the needs of orphaned and sick children.
Edmonds publisher Missouri Hanna has been called the "Mother of Journalism" in Washington, but not all mothers are filled with sweetness and light. Labor activist Mother Jones visited Seattle and Tacoma in May, 1914, bringing fiery condemnations of plutocrats and capitalists involved in the coal-mining industry. And then there was Mary Ann Conklin, a.k.a. Mother Damnable, a mountain of a woman with a volcanic vocabulary, capable of cursing in several languages. She operated Seattle's first hotel and was known to carry rocks in her apron to hurl at folks who made her upset, which was just about everyone.
