Trades Tower
Bellingham Technical College, Bellingham, WA
2005
Bellingham Technical College is a school that teaches a wide range of trades, from Radiology technician to Autobody repairs.
This sculpture sits on the grounds of the campus, just off a pathway between two buildings. It is loosely based on Trojans Tower, in Rome, but instead of chronicling conquests, it depicts some of the trades taught at the school. There are bands of imagery for Culinary Arts, Machine Shop, Auto body, the Medical technicians, Welding, and others.
At the base of the sculpture 3 benches spiral outwards, ending in small tables which have chess board grids embossed into them.
The entire sculpture is stainless steel- some parts are very graphic, waterjet cut images, other parts are machined, and still other parts are hand forged. There are a variety of textures, sizes, and shapes of metal, making for a complex, machine-like look.
The tower is 30 feet tall, topped with a 32" diameter globe, and it is 2 feet in diameter. The benches at the base are each 9' long, and 4' tall. Electropolished Stainless Steel.
Commissioned by the Washington State Arts Commission.
