ART IN SEATTLE’S PUBLIC PLACES: An Illustrated...

ART IN SEATTLE’S PUBLIC PLACES: An Illustrated Guide by James M. Rupp, photographs by Mary Randlett (University of Washington Press: $19.95). Rupp’s handsome area-by-area guide documents the remarkably diverse array of sculptures, reliefs, mosaics, fountains, murals and stained-glass windows in the city’s plazas, lobbies and parks. Although the collection includes works by Henry Moore, Isamu Noguchi, Frank Stella, Robert Graham and other major artists, many of the most interesting pieces reflect the traditions of the indigenous cultures. Lawney Reyes’ Thunderbird sculpture translates the Native American myths embodied in totem poles and cedar carving into a contemporary idiom. Ted Jonsson’s striking fountain for the Water Department Operations Control Center turns columns of water into sculptural elements that seem to embody the numerous waterfalls of the surrounding landscape. Inhabitants of larger, richer cities might well envy the wealth of art that is available to anyone who visits Seattle.