E. C PAFT

Public Art Field Trip E. C.

Public Artwork Sites:

1. Buster Simpson/Brightwater Treatment Plant, Bothell

Brightwater Treatment Plant is the largest sewage treatment plant in the world (located in Woodinville, WA in Northern King County). This plant in unique in its own way – not only does it treat sewage from the Puget Sound area, it also provides 40 acres of land dedicated to an environment the salmon would spawn in and an educational center for all. This plant treats our waste water and recycles clean water back to the environment.

The Brightwater art project was created in 2002 through collaboration with Buster Simpson, Jann Rosen-Queralt, and Ellen Sollod – the final idea was inspired by Lorna Jordan’s “Waterworks Gardens (1996) (Moyer and Harper, 121 – 123).

This project was a part of “1% to art” and was created with a semi Pop art feel for the public. When the plant was being built in Woodinville, the general public has started to become quite involved with the qualty of our water, the environment in the Puget Sound, and our effects of the land being used.

2. Herbert Bayer/Mill Creek Canyon, Kent

This artwork was created by Herbert Bayer at the Mill Creek Canyon in Kent, WA. In 1972, then the project was being designed and built, Herbert Bayer’s focus was on water and how to avoid flooding into the residential areas nearby. The design was built to withstand large storms. The large berm helps prevent flooding; when it rains, the water gets collected into the double ringed pond. After the storm, the water then drained into Mill Creek – the slowing of the storm water prevents erosion and protects the habitat of Mill Creek as well as protects the local residential and business developments. In 2008, the plan was redesigned from Bayer’s original design (from 100-year storm design into 10,000 year storm design). (information found in the Mill Creek Canyon Park).