New downtown Tacoma sidewalk sculptures spotted along Pacific Avenue

Downtown Tacoma visitors may notice new public art along an eight-block stretch of Pacific Avenue. The large, colorful orbs are sidewalk sculptures that were installed this week and created by local artist Elizabeth Conner, whose work appears in many of the 14 rain gardens that were part of the City of Tacoma’s $11.9 million Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project. On Wednesday morning, the Tacoma Daily Index spotted a half-dozen of these sculptures between South 7th Street and South 15th Street. Each piece measures between three-and-a-half feet and nearly four-and-a-half feet in diameter, weigh between 1,700 and 3,200 pounds, are cast in concrete with a color treatment, and are secured to the sidewalk by a stainless rod, according to a report prepared by City of Tacoma staff.

To read the Tacoma Daily Index‘s complete and comprehensive coverage of Tacoma’s Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project, click on the following links:

Sidewalk sculptures planned for revamped Pacific Avenue (Tacoma Daily Index, Jan. 7, 2014)
Celebrate downtown Tacoma’s revamped Pac Ave (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 2, 2013)
City Council OKs accepting 16 grants, $31M for 12 Tacoma road projects (Tacoma Daily Index, May 16, 2013)
16 grants net $31M for Tacoma infrastructure projects (Tacoma Daily Index, April 30, 2013)
Tacoma breaks ground on Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project (Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 5, 2012)
Groundbreaking ceremony, open house planned for Tacoma’s Pacific Avenue Streetscape Project(Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 25, 2012)
Bidding opens for Pacific Avenue streetscape project (Tacoma Daily Index, July 11, 2012)
Funding secured, Tacoma’s Pacific Avenue revamp ready to begin (Tacoma Daily Index, June 13, 2012)
Tacoma’s Pacific Avenue revamp awarded $3M grant (Tacoma Daily Index, May 24, 2012)
Pacific Avenue streetscape wayfinding open house Nov. 9 (Tacoma Daily Index, Nov. 3, 2011)
Pacific Avenue streetscape project meeting Oct. 20 (Tacoma Daily Index, Oct. 10, 2011)
Tacoma to receive nearly $1M for Pacific Avenue streetscape project (Tacoma Daily Index, Aug. 16, 2011)
Pac Ave streetscape open house May 9 (Tacoma Daily Index, May 9, 2011)
Public meeting Dec. 9 for Pac Ave streetscape project (Tacoma Daily Index, Dec. 3, 2010)

Todd Matthews is editor of the Tacoma Daily Index and recipient of an award for Outstanding Achievement in Media from the Washington State Department of Archaeology and Historic Preservation for his work covering historic preservation in Tacoma and Pierce County. He has earned four awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, including third-place honors for his feature article about the University of Washington’s Innocence Project; first-place honors for his feature article about Seattle’s bike messengers; third-place honors for his feature interview with Prison Legal News founder Paul Wright; and second-place honors for his feature article about whistle-blowers in Washington State. His work has also appeared in All About Jazz, City Arts Tacoma, Earshot Jazz, Homeland Security Today, Jazz Steps, Journal of the San Juans, Lynnwood-Mountlake Terrace Enterprise, Prison Legal News, Rain Taxi, Real Change, Seattle Business Monthly, Seattle magazine, Tablet, Washington CEO, Washington Law & Politics, and Washington Free Press. He is a graduate of the University of Washington and holds a bachelor’s degree in communications. His journalism is collected online at wahmee.com.

Six large, colorful orbs created by local artist Elizabeth Conner were installed this week along an eight-block stretch of Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma. (PHOTO BY TODD MATTHEWS)