Scavenger Hunt For Yakima’s Public Art

By Melissa S. Labberton

Photos by Cal Blethen

Whether it’s the Sphinx in Egypt or Michelangelo’s David in Florence, Italy, public art is a hallmark of a civilized society. Yakima has been the fortunate recipient of a number of public art installations that have added a dynamic artistic dimension to our city.

But do you know where they are?[slideshow id=26]

Now that the warm weather has finally arrived, Yakima magazine invites our readers to get a group of friends together and embark on a scavenger hunt for Yakima’s “public art” … some in the most unlikely places.

The late Ellensburg artist Richard Elliott created Circle of Light, which wraps Yakima’s SunDome like a Native American headdress. During a summer heat wave in 1992, Elliott risked life and limb to hang like a window washer off the side of the dome, affixing by hand the 48,480 industrial neon reflectors to the side of the building.

The satirical sculpture Coyotes with Chickens, near the south side of Yakima Valley Community College’s pedestrian overpass across Nob Hill Boulevard, holds the distinction of being Northwest artist Richard Beyer’s last work of public art. Famous for his humorous Waiting for the Interurban sculpture on Seattle’s Fremont Bridge, Beyer’s Coyotes with Chickens depicts professorial “coyotes” deciding the fate of the student-like “chickens.”

Not far away, YVCC’s newly opened Glenn Anthon Hall features Three Allegories of Learning, by Seattle artist Steven Gardner. According to Gardner, “The three dramatic terra cotta panels found at the top of the lobby’s staircase … depict the importance of knowledge, growth, risk, patience and self-initiative.” Don’t overlook the glass panels on the stair rails that reflect the disciplines taught in the building.

Yakima artist Daniel Patton got the nod from the Washington Department of Transportation to create the stainless steel Sunbursts that epitomize Yakima’s sunny climate and appear on the I-82 overpasses. Installed in 2007, Patton worked with ASAP Metal Fabrications to literally torch and jackhammer the steel into the artwork it is today.

My Life and Times in Yakima, a painting by nationally acclaimed artist Roy DeForest, hangs in a rather unusual place: Yakima’s downtown library. A child of migrant farm workers, DeForest attended YVCC, later taught there and ultimately became a professor of art at the University of California, Davis. A leader in the “California Funk” art movement, DeForest died in 2007; his artwork appears in major art museums around the country.

Spiraling Upwards, a distressed green copper pillar in front of Allied Arts on Lincoln Avenue, was created by Ellensburg artist Debbie Young. The wrinkled green monolith was a gift from the past presidents of Yakima Allied Arts.

If you have time, take a purposeful stroll on the adjoining Labyrinth, created by Babs Rankin. Installed in 2001, the labyrinth replicates those in ancient cultures that were used for meditation.

The Yakima Valley Museum boasts what is likely the only Neon Garden in the country. Iconic neon signs from bygone Yakima businesses, such as the Yakima Bicycle Shop and the airport’s “Welcome to Yakima” sign, light up the museum’s great hall, greeting museum visitors and attendees to frequent dinner functions alike.

Abundance, a glass, steel, basalt and bronze sculpture created by father/son artists Michael and Chad Gray, makes a statement at the corner of Yakima Avenue and North Second Street. The basalt columns symbolize earth, water and sun, with the tallest topped by a multicolored, glass “horn of plenty” that lights up at night.

Bremerton sculptor Bill Robinson recently installed his abstract, coiled granite sculpture in front of Yakima’s former train depot on North Front Street. At first controversial, the hubbub seems to have died down and the piece is starting to remind viewers of Yakima’s prehistoric roots.

The Millennium Arts Plaza in the heart of downtown Yakima on South Third Street took four years and a community to create. Boston Artist Wen-ti Tsen oversaw the design of a circular plaza that reflects the importance of water, land, agriculture, multicultural heritage and the history of our Valley. No matter the season, the Millennium Arts Plaza has become a favorite  place for community gatherings and special events.

Know of a piece of public art we haven’t mentioned here? E-mail us at feedback@yakimamagazine.com