Submitted by Washington State Department of Enterprise Services
A new sculpture that becomes part of the state’s public art collection will be installed April 28-May 2 in the Helen Sommers Building on the Capitol Campus in Olympia.
The artwork was paid for using one-half of 1 percent of the building construction costs, as required by state law, and it will be the third significant work of art on the Capitol Campus created a female artist. The State Art Collection currently holds more than 4,500 works, making Washington’s one of the oldest and largest state public art collections.
The Capitol Campus alone is home to more than 20 permanent sculptures, fountains and memorials that reflect our State’s character and history and enrich the visitor experience at the State Capitol.
The new piece, titled “Hydro Logic,” is a contemporary, three-dimensional work by Seattle artist Beliz Brother, who has created several notable public art installations in the Northwest. It will hang on a three-story wall of the atrium at the building’s core, freely visible to the public.
“Hydro Logic” is 13 feet wide, 41 feet tall and was designed to reflect upon one of our state’s greatest natural resources – water. The artwork is divided into 10 sections, which the artist says represent 10 major watershed areas in the state.
“It recognizes our industries of shipping and fishing and forestry, our beauty, our recreational activities and the very importance of water to all life,” Brother wrote in the proposal submitted for the selection process.
Work impacts
Most of the work to install the art is expected to take place during the weekend, and could affect parking as well as vehicle and pedestrian traffic in the area of the building on Capitol Campus.
Anchor points to hold the artwork were installed during the building’s construction, so interior noise is expected to be limited to sounds from an electric lift that will be used to move the artwork.
A staircase near the artwork will be closed during the installation, as well.
The budget for the artwork was just over $232,250, and included design, engineering, fabrication, installation and sales tax.
About the artist
Brother is a decorated artist whose work has been exhibited at the Seattle Art Museum, the Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia , San Francisco’s New Langton Arts and the Henry Art Gallery in Seattle.
Other state-commissioned installations of her sculptures can be seen at Tacoma Community College and Everett Community College. She also created artwork housed at the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, Calif., and Swedish Health Services and Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
About the selection process
Brother’s artwork was selected and commissioned with the help of the Washington State Arts Commission and a seven-member Art Selection Committee that included building tenants, a community member, a local artist, and the 1063 Block Replacement Project Director.
