For anyone who has ever tried taking an idea from being a mere kernel in your mind to being a fully fledged project, who navigated the murky waters of permits, public acceptance, consensus, obtaining money (public or private) and still demand donated time, realizes that a small miracle took place.
That is just what happened on the corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Henderson Street in the form of a bus shelter.
For those of us who are unfamiliar with this intersection's history, we might think it simply a more engaging shelter than most, but officer Cindy Granard of the South Precinct Community Police Team knows too well of the loitering and drug dealing that went on. Granard is not your average run-of-the-mill police officer.
Her looks are reminiscent of Dolly Parton and her soft manner, combined with a bubbly, dynamic personality, works wonders for pushing down the impossible walls of bureaucracy. Granard saw the problem, asked herself how the shelter could be made better and safer, and found a very creative solution.
"Let's beautify it!" she said.
Then it became a matter of finding the right group of people who have the stamina and experience to see the project through to reality: enter the SouthEast Effective Development (SEED). With 30 years working in our neighborhood on issues of housing, economic development, and the arts, SEED is a powerful group able to bring together a local artist with students from two area high schools. The students did much of the execution while receiving a learning experience through participation in a legitimate community project.
Artist Cathy Fields embraced the challenge of finding imagery that would please a broad audience and somehow relate to the immediate community. She is a long-time resident who appreciates the abundance of parks and greenbelts in our area and admires the tenacity of animals that have adapted to theurbanization of the landscape.
Squirrels and mice along with birds and mountain views adorn the bus stop's panels, which are strategically placed to discourage youths from sitting on the railings.
Students from Rainier Beach High School followed designs by Fields to make metal silhouettes to soften the harsh edges of the standard bus stop we typically see around town. In addition to the silhouettes, metal casting paw-prints subtly suggest that during the quiet hours of the day and night, furry visitors came by.
The paw prints were cast at the Cleveland High School foundry by a student during her spring break, and it underscores the best part about this story: the student participation. The police officer willing to go the extra mile, the established artist bringing beauty into our lives, the non-profit that has the dexterity to put the pieces of the puzzle together is all terrific, but the youngsters involved in this project, of which there are many, came away with so much.
Through this project they gained exposure to marvelous role models, the South End movers and shakers who get out and take life by the horns. For Fields, and especially the student artists involved, the project is the polar opposite of an art portfolio that gathers dust in the attic. All of them are now able to drive by their bus shelter and know that even a seemingly crazy idea can become real.
Kisa Haag of Cleveland High School felt so inspired by her mentor Mary Coss, who works with SEED, that she has earned a fellowship at Bellevue College, studying public art nonetheless.
Jacqui James may be reached through editor@sdistrictjournal.com.
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