Snoqualmie arts commissioners move to rehome controversial story pole, back loan of murals to historical museum

At a regular meeting of the Snoqualmie Arts Commission, commissioners discussed downtown public art they said has prompted concern among members of the Snoqualmie Tribe and voted to recommend that five artworks from the city council chambers be transferred on loan to the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum.

The commission emphasized it would consult the tribe before taking further steps on the downtown story pole and that any removal or relocation would follow the city’s municipal code requirement that the Arts Commission review and submit recommendations to the city council. "No existing work of art owned by the city of Snoqualmie should be removed, relocated, or altered without prior review by the arts commission, which shall submit its recommendation to the council," a commission member read aloud from the municipal code during the meeting.

Why it matters: Commissioners framed the question as both cultural and procedural. Commissioners said tribal members have raised concerns that the downtown story pole is not part of local Salish carving traditions and that…