Artist Lydia Aldredge, of Seattle, is moving forward with her artwork for Maple Valley’s Witte Road improvement project.
The City Council Monday night unanimously approved Aldredge’s public art concept of “the nest,” to be displayed on three light poles along Witte Road.
Selection Process
The project is the first city-funded public art display that has been vetted through the city’s Public Arts Commission, which formed in early 2013.
In January 2015 and again in February, the commission sent out a request for qualifications for the Witte Road project.
Mary Jane Glaser, who represents the Maple Valley Creative Arts Council on the city’s Public Arts Commission, said in addition to the city reaching out to multiple forums in the Pacific Northwest, she also reached out to her local network of artists.
The commission received 14 qualified responses after extending the submission deadline, said the commission’s staff liaison, Dorothy Stickney. One of the artists was local to Maple Valley.
Stickney said the commission chose to publish the request in free forums to reduce costs.
The pool of artists was reduced to three for the interview process. The artists pitched their concepts for the artwork to the commission and one was chosen.
Glaser said because this was the first project the commission has vetted for the city, they would like to hear from the community about how they can make the process better for the next project.
The artist
Aldredge has a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Oregon and has a studio in Seattle, where she has lived since 1981.
She said she’s been doing public art pieces for about 25 years.
Aldredge said her interest in doing the Witte Road project stemmed from her experience on the King County Boundary Review Board.
“I remember when Maple Valley applied for annexation,” she said.
Aldredge said the last time she was in Maple Valley, it wasn’t even an incorporated city yet.
“I was curious to see what had happened (since incorporation),” Aldredge said.
Aldredge’s other public art pieces can be seen at Kent Station, Greenbridge Community Center and Miller Community Center (both in Seattle), among other places. Photos of her artwork can be found at www.archetypeseattle.com.
The Concept
Aldredge plans to construct a series of lightweight sculptures, all encompassing her theme of “the nest.”
The focal point of the artwork will be a woven metal sculpture in the shape of a nest, 6 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter and about 13-14 feet off the ground.
The materials will be aluminum with a bronze powder coating. Inside the nest will be small LED lights that will be on a timer, so they only shine when the sun goes down, Aldredge said.
On the two adjacent light poles will be two pairs of intertwined branch sculptures, made out of the same material as the nest. The branches will be accompanied by blown glass globes with small led lights inside. The branch sculptures will be about 8 feet tall, according to the artist’s sketches.
Aldredge said she was inspired by one of the student commissioner’s “poetic” descriptions of Maple Valley, calling it a “threshold” to both the wilderness and the urban city of Seattle.
Aldredge also said she sees the city as a place for families to connect and be safe, and to “launch people into the world.”
She said she also plans on incorporating a metal mesh material to prevent birds from actually nesting in the sculptures.
They will also be able to stand up against pressure washing without having to take them down, Aldredge said.
Cost
At the time the Public Arts Commission was formed, the city designated 1 percent of city-funded projects for public art pieces.
The cost of the Witte Road improvement project is about $1.6 million according to City Manager David Johnston. That leaves $16,000 for the public art portion.
Timing
The improvements to Witte Road are scheduled to be completed in October, weather permitting. The public art installation is scheduled to be done at the same time.
