Tag Archives: public art

A robot, some chickens and Dino Rossi

Here’s a rundown of the last week’s news:

Gardening greats: The Bainbridge Public Library’s unsung heroes, the Friday Tidys, have been hard at work for over a decade. With their members aging, the Tidys are now seeking some young (or not-so-young) blood to keep the garden-grooming project going. Read more HERE.

Public pod: Winslow’s newest piece of city-funded public art was unveiled on Saturday. Dozens of attendees at the unveiling praised it. Online commentators have (so far) panned it. Head over HERE and share your thoughts about “Pod.”

Hen homes: The island’s finest chicken coops were on display Saturday for the second-annual Tour de Coop. Read about it HERE and take my virtual tour HERE.

Robot randonneur: A retired engineer wanted the ideal tandem bicycle riding partner. So he built one. “Joules” the robot bike-rider never complains and never slacks off, but he can easily get carried away (and potentially brake the speed limit on most island roads). Read the story, see the photo gallery and watch the video HERE.

Dino drop-in: Two-time Republican gubernatorial candidate and current U.S. Senate candidate Dino Rossi stopped by Bainbridge to say, among other things, that the next ballot he’ll appear on will not carry the ‘baggage’ of more divisive, higher-profile Republican candidates. And that, he said, could give him the edge over incumbent Democrat Patty Murray. Read more HERE.

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Have your say on how the city spends money on public art

Taking a break on their business trip to sip coffee along Winslow Way, Ellissa Wieneke and Angie Glasser eyed the sculpture a few feet away.

“It’s fun,” said Glasser, nodding at the mosaic sphere tucking in the landscape near their table. “Public art like this adds some flavor and gives us an interpretation of who the people are here.”

On the island for a just a few hours to help with a local theater production, the Seattle-area costumers came quickly to the conclusion that Bainbridge likes to share art in a public fashion.

“Just walking around, you can tell this is an art town,” Wieneke said.

And there’s much more public art on the way.

The city early this year increased the public art program’s share of capital projects funding from 1 to 2 percent, increasing the annual average of $24,000 to about $66,000.

Now arts advocates are working on a six-year plan to direct the types, locations and styles of the new works.

The Bainbridge Island Arts & Humanities Council will hold a meeting on Sunday afternoon to discuss public arts planning and gather input from residents.

“We’d love to hear from as many voices as possible, and put those voices into public art,” said Janice Shaw, who oversees the city public arts program.

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