High Point Residents Express Themselves in Community Artworks
The High Point community is infused with art. Everywhere you look – street corners, light posts, community parks – art serves as a connection to the neighborhood and beyond.
(Splash Blocks at High Point)
Parks & Gardens
Under the direction of experimental artist Milenko Matanovic, the Pomegranate Center involved High Point residents, local schools and neighborhood businesses in the “initial art” project. Volunteers drew their initials on cedar fence boards which had been recycled from trees that had to be removed from the neighborhood.
The initials were then carved out, painted and formed into the Market Garden fence. Pomegranate also used cedar recycled from the site for handmade shelters, tables and benches in the garden, carving images of plants into the structures, further connecting the art to the garden and the community.
Pomegranate is also designing the amphitheater in central park, including bench walls and tiled seating areas for residents to relax. Meeting with arts groups in West Seattle, they have outlined priorities which will, in part, shape the art’s design.
As more and more people move into High Point, Pomegranate will work with them to introduce art into the neighborhood’s pocket parks. Designs, which will reflect the residents’ vision, could include one-of-a-kind gateways, crafted seating areas or cultural images. Regardless of the direction the residents choose to take, the art will serve as a lasting legacy of the community’s diversity and embracing spirit.
Streets & Sidewalks
Orcas Island artist Bruce Myers was commissioned by Seattle Public Utilities to reflect High Point’s vision of sustainable living. His inspiration was to remind High Point residents that they are stewards of the Longfellow Creek Watershed.
His series of artwork begins at the south end of the community with a cluster of boulders that have been cut and polished, giving them a smooth, liquid appearance. He sandblasted different life forms into the rocks to further remind residents of their environmental responsibility.
Along the street curb, bronze sculptural plaques assist in slowing run-off and further emphasize the community’s connection to the creek. The plaques are of six different designs, all building on an overlapping raindrop pattern. This same design is rotated, hooked together and vertically affixed to light poles as a visual connection for pedestrians.
At the Pond Park, Myers created steel-plated orca dorsal fins of varying heights and scored the sidewalk in a mesmerizing raindrop pattern, further introducing layers that build on the theme of a sustainable community.
As the community continues to grow, so too will the opportunities for community art, offering residents their very own neighborhood art walk every day of the year.
|
