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City staff and resident artists describe art residencies that tied public art to solid‑waste outreach
Summary
City staff presented two 2024–25 artist‑in‑residence projects embedded with Public Works and Environmental Services, describing installations, community workshops, a recycling education award and plans for future recycled‑glass partnerships.
Rebecca Solverson, division manager for Arts and Cultural Vitality and Community Development, briefed the committee on March 10 on two artist‑in‑residence projects embedded with city departments in 2024–25.
Solverson said the residencies were competitive, project‑based placements (part time, March 2024–December 2025) funded through the city’s 1% for art capital program and designed to meet departmental goals while building public engagement and placemaking. She said the program aimed to increase awareness of environmental and transportation priorities and strengthen cross‑departmental partnerships.
Artist Tariko Nimura described three public engagement projects tied to solid‑waste themes: a 30‑foot “spider web” sculpture made from reclaimed produce mesh to help people visualize waste volume, an "Extended Family Table" built from reclaimed wood to encourage public conversation and collectives around reuse, and a series of koi carp and dragon streamers made from reclaimed tote bags created with students from the Science and Math Institute. Solverson said the residency with Environmental Services contributed to the city receiving a 2025 Recycler of the Year education award from the Washington State Recycling Association.
Solverson also described Natalie Depiel’s illustration work with Public Works, noting that having an illustrator embedded in transportation planning helped make technical materials more accessible and supported demonstration projects such as a Pride crosswalk and other visual designs for traffic‑calming and placemaking. She said some artworks were already being added to the city’s collection and that the program’s tools and demonstration pieces will support future projects.
Committee members praised the work, asked about program mechanics and funding, and the presenters said the residencies leveraged existing capital 1% funding and project budgets; several projects used reclaimed materials and low material budgets. Solverson said staff capacity limits the frequency of deep, embedded residencies but that a forthcoming partnership will focus on local recycled‑glass processing to keep materials and creative work local.
The committee thanked staff for the deeper dive and moved on to other items; there was no formal vote on the residency program at the March 10 meeting.
