Seattle Southside is overflowing with public art. Let's start in Kent and make the rounds through Des Moines, SeaTac and Tukwila too.

Kent
The artwork Big Corn is located at the Willis Street gateway, immediately adjacent to SR 167 in Kent. Peter Reiquam is an artist who fabricates his own work, and the construction of the artwork ingeniously mimics the growth patterns of corn stalks.  Big Corn consists of three fabricated steel corn stalks measuring 17’-4” tall. The steel stalks are made from three graduated diameters of steel pipe, telescoped together and mechanically joined using stainless steel hardware. Each stalk carries five corn ears, made by spinning three separate steel parts and welding them together, and each ear measures approximately 22” in length by 5-1/2” in diameter. Just as the subject matter honors Kent's agricultural heritage, Peter Reiquam's craftsmanship is a tribute to the Valley's current manufacturing base.

Artist Mike Whiting has created a trio of steel sculptures for Kent's newest skate park. The sculptures are inspired by early, pixilated video games. Using the fewest pixels possible, Mike's sculptures depict a skater doing a hand plant, a spider and a flower. Mike also contributed gate designs and signage that play with the park's skating and climbing themes. The park is located at the corner of S. 240th Street and 116th Avenue SE., Kent.

Artist Lea Anne Lake's love of the game is reflected in her sensitively rendered quotes, diagrams and illustrations, which are etched into the new columns at the Service Club Ballfields. The Ballfields are located at 14608 SE 288th, Kent.

On Tuesday, May 8, 2007 the Kent Arts Commission was proud to dedicate two fitting memorials at Three Friends Fishing Hole. Three carved cedar trees will stand together in memory of the local fishermen who lost their lives on an Alaskan fishing trip. This carving was created by Steve Jensen at his local studio. Additionally, the fishing platform features a sandblasted design by Debbie Zachary and VJ Suttmeir. The Three Friends Fishing Hole is located on the east bank of the Green River at Russell Road, Kent.

Artist Carolyn Law transforms a standard fencing system into a colorful, sculptural form. Complimentary, integrated color helps establish this newest gateway experience. The artwork dedication took place at Riverview Overpass on Tuesday, March 27. The overpass is located along S 228, just west of the Green River, Kent.

Des Moines
The Highline Community College Library Exhibits and Art Gallery, located on the 4th floor of the Library at 240th Street in Des Moines, is an area set aside for exhibiting visual arts.  The gallery displays the creative works of faculty, staff, students and members of the extended community in an effort to provide space for promoting their diverse talents.

SeaTac
With as many people that pass through the Seattle-Tacoma Interntional Airport each year, it is not surprising to see how much public art the Port of Seattle has incorporated into the airport. On the baggage claim level, with access to unticketed visitors, one can see the following displays: Erin Shie Palmer's "Clearing", copper and stone sculptural wall; Brad Story's "Roscoe", wood, fiberglass sculpture; Norman Courtney's "Untitled", glass tiles; "Norman Anderson's "Rainmakers Baggage", mixed-media kinectic sculpture; Richard Elliott's "The Old Inspires The New", safety reflectors; Steve Gardner's "A Washington Alphabet", glazed ceramic tiles; Nancy Blum's "Flower Wall", resin and aluminum cast sculptures; Karen Ganz's "Travelor", non oil-on-canvas paintings; and William Morris' "Northwest Garnering", blown glass sculpture.

On the ticketing level, still with some public access for unticketed visitors, the works on display include: Maxine Martell's "Near Distance", five two-panel acrylic paintings on canvas; John Geise's "Infinity Column", neon sculpture; Jim Buckham's "Untitled", enameled tiles; Paul R. Jenkins' "Tent Frame, wood and ivory sculpture; Louise Nevelson's "Night Flight I", wood and paint sculpture; Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter's "Landing", suspended mixed-media sculpture; John Wharton's "Untitled", acrylic sculpture; Johsel Namkung's "Lake Wenatchee", photograph; Jennifer Lew and Richard Proctor's "Rondo Capriccioso", fold-dye paper mural; Gloria Crouse's "Untitled", fiber sculpture; Kelly mcLain's "Untitled", suspended blown and sculpted glass; and Dick Weiss' "Cow on its Side" and "For A.W.", stained glass windows.

There are many more displays throughout the terminals and councourses, but they are only available for viewing to ticketed passengers. We recommend arriving for your flight a little early and taking a stroll to view the beautiful pulic art displays.

Tukwila
The intent of Water Carry is to enhance the civic presence of the Interurban Avenue Pump Station (built in 1995) on the Duwamish River. As a welcoming threshold that informs and reveals the utility, Water Carry invites motorists, cyclists and pedestrians to see how the pump station serves as a vital function to water quality in the area and specifically the Duwamish River. The artwork tells the story of the site using carefully chosen symbols about water and its significance in Native American mythology, the role of the Duwamish River in shaping Tukwila's history and the pump station's function in purifying water. Water Carry is seen through a tableau of objects sitting on a richly patterned rug representing a river motif.

The Museum of Flight on East Marginal Way in Tukwila has added a new sculpture at the West facing entrance to the museum. An abstract piece that reaches up to the sky, one may argue that it represents flight, wings, or something else your mind imagines.