Photo by Brian Forsythe of SDOT.Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) Field Operations crews recently assisted Seattle artist Dan Webb ininstalling two new public artworks along the Chief Sealth Trail where the trail crosses Beacon Avenue South near South Dawson Street.
The artwork, each atop a 11-foot-high column on either side of Beacon Avenue South, shows winged helmeted bicyclists (a boy on a pink column and a girl on a blue column) riding above clouds. Webb states “The two bicycle riders represented in this piece ride among the clouds, as all do who ride in Seattle. At the base of each column is the symbol of the Duwamish people, ‘The People of the Inside,’ living between the Cascades and the Olympics. As we ride these paths, we remember them, the first and future riders of these hills.” Seattle was named for the most well- known northwest Native American Chief, Chief Sealth (1784 – 1866) of the Duwamish Tribe.
The artwork enlivens the streetscape and visually marks the location of the trail for drivers, bicyclists and pedestrians. The artwork was installed on either side of Beacon Avenue South to identify the Chief Sealth Trail. The artwork was commissioned in 2010 with SDOT 1% for the Arts Funds administered by the Office of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Photo by Artist Dan Webb.
The Chief Sealth Trail, a multi-purpose trail in Southeast Seattle, is part of the city’s regional trail system. The Trail provides new connections to Beacon Hill (and the Beacon Hill Neighborhood Greenway) and Sound Transit light rail stations along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The trail is one of five regional trails that cross the city, connecting to schools, businesses, and residents while promoting a healthy and active lifestyle.