Salishan
Using art to create a unifying space in a diverse community
Pomegranate Center mobilized residents of a housing development where 23 languages are spoken to create a gathering place on a plot adjacent to a community garden. Three interlocking shelters are supported by posts inlaid with copper recycled from the old roof of nearby historic Union Station train depot. The covered area stands next to a gathering circle made from cobblestones, brick and granite reclaimed from historic Tacoma streets. Douglas McLennan of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer hailed this project as “a remarkable example of public art grown within a community.“
- Year:
- 1997
- Location:
- Tacoma, Washington
- Partners:
- City of Tacoma and Salishan Housing Development
- Funding:
- Tacoma Arts Commission, City of Tacoma Department of Public Works, Tacoma Housing Authority, Metropolitan Park District, Eastside Neighborhood Council, Pierce County Cooperative extension, Family Investment Center, Buffalo Design, Key Bank, Holroyd Co. Inc., Randles Sand & Gravel, Anderson Construction, Addison Construction Supply, Gray Lumber, Western Structural, Woodworth & Co. Inc., Johnston Construction, Redford Honeybucket, American Portable Storage, Peterson Brothers Painting, Northwest Commercial Inc., and Tacoma Terrace
- Lead Designer:
- Milenko Matanovic
- Project Manager:
- Mel Mackay
- Artist Team:
- Jarred Jackman, Jack Lewis, Jordan Martin, Ben Rae, Michael J. Hollins, Karl Heinz Sodamin, Chiaki Takanohara, Mochimasa Maeda
- Volunteer Hours:
- 1,500
