Crews reinstalling sculptures on Ballard Bridge

Posted by Geeky Swedes on September 16th, 2008

Back in February 2006, eight sculptures were removed from the Ballard Bridge after a fierce windstorm damaged the anchors that secured the public art in place. After a long repair and reinforcement process, the artwork will be reinstalled today and tomorrow. From 9 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. today, SDOT crews will close the northbound right lane to install the four sculptures on that side of the bridge. Then in the same time span tomorrow, they’ll finish up the other side of the bridge.

The 10-foot-tall aluminum sculptures were designed by Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake to reflect Ballard’s Scandinavian and Native American roots. It was funded by city art funds, neighborhood matching funds and contributions raised by the Ballard Gateway Committee.

Tags: Ballard Facebook

rich

oh god no - please no - they're so ugly.

I was really hoping they were gone...

seriously - some of the ugliest crap I've ever seen. right up there with the "trees" on market street.

take it back to fremont where it belongs.

ballard sucks now!

G Dub

Yeah that is just what this area needed..... artwork to add beauty. I mean who wants to look at one of the most naturally beautiful spots in the Northwest when we can add manufactured metal!

R U kidding me! The ship canal, fishermens terminal, sailboats, locks, Puget Sound, Olympic Mts. Don't mind the idea of public art, but could we consider the areas that are not naturally beautiful to begin with?

BB

Agreed Evan. People worked really hard to make this happen in the first place (kudos to J Jensen, who spearheaded the project).

As for the Bergen Place art, same thing--bring it on, and the edgier the better--time to shake up staid nordic ballard.

20 yr resident (a youngster, as it were)

Evan

I think this is great news! Hooray SDOT.

Public art adds a great level of texture and interest to our public spaces - even if you don't like it!

Molly

Hooray, they're great! They light up.

kim

m--

bingo, they look like something timothy leary might have concocted!

chris wilkey

Oh my god....this crap is coming back....why do we spend good money on really really really bad art that could be sold NO WHERE ELSE? I was hoping that they would go the way of the $500k toilets.....

dd

But why can't they do it at night - - blocking the bridge during the day is a bad idea... and I've got to cross it to get home...

m

I'm glad to see them come back too. I'm a huge fan of public art even if I don't particularly like some of it *cough bergen park trees cough cough*

pioggia

I'm so glad to hear this, I really enjoyed those sculptures.

Frantic Freddy

Native Americans? You mean there were people here BEFORE the current crop of local misanthropes? And how did the Scandos treat the Natives? Did they knock down their log homes to build Late Tudor track homes? Must have been awful.

oes that mean they'll be life after the yuppies?