Arts Council opens formal review for donated kinetic sculpture "Hokusai 20"; staff to research engineering, right‑of‑way and agency approvals

The Arts Council on Oct. 15 initiated a staff review of a proposed donation of Hokusai 20, a kinetic sculpture by artist Jeffrey Laudenslager, and asked staff to complete engineering and right‑of‑way research before the council considers formal acceptance.

Sarah Bluhas, capital project manager, described the piece as a kinetic stainless/titanium sculpture with a proposed height of about 21 feet and a weight the presentation cited as approximately 314 pounds for the sculpture with a roughly 3‑foot, 90‑pound base — a combined weight staff described as about 400 pounds and an installed height near 24 feet. “It is a kinetic sculpture,” Bluhas said, “the sculpture itself will stand about 21 feet tall and it weighs approximately 314 pounds.” Donors in the room — identified as Bob and Laura Ellen Maglia — told the council the work moves in the wind, requires no electricity and that the bearings are designed to last for decades.

The donors proposed siting the work in the roundabout at North Mercer Way and 70th Avenue SE in Town Center; that location appears on the city’s Art in Public Places six‑year opportunities list. Bluhas said three research tasks are needed before the city advances: (1) meet with the artist and a structural engineer to verify foundation and long‑term maintenance needs and to obtain structural calculations for permitting, (2) consult city engineers and right‑of‑way staff about siting artwork within a roadway roundabout and any traffic or sight‑line constraints, and (3) coordinate with Sound Transit and Washington State Department of Transportation because parcels and transfer of ownership associated with the roundabout remain in progress.

Arts Council members broadly praised the work, but some expressed concern about placing an eye‑catching, moving sculpture inside a traffic roundabout. Councilor Stan Skoll said he supported acquiring the work but preferred a location where visitors could sit and reflect rather than view it from a moving car. The council directed staff to pursue the three research items, to evaluate alternative sites the donors would accept, and to return with findings and a proposed selection committee early in 2026 for any formal artwork‑acceptance process.

Next steps: staff will coordinate with the artist and structural engineer, consult city engineers and right‑of‑way teams, begin agency coordination for parcel ownership transfers, and return to the Arts Council in early 2026 with technical findings and a recommendation on whether to accept the donation and, if so, where it should be sited.