In 2018, this mosaic was installed in Downtown Olympia at 512 Washington St. For this project, I was commissioned for the design only, as the mosaic was fabricated and installed by The Bellarde Company. It was a pleasure to collaborate with the Bellarde Company, who removed the section of sidewalk, and poured a new pad, setting the mosaic in place using their Lithomosaic method.
This is one of three sidewalk inlays for Downtown Olympia honoring musicians who were instrumental in the development of Olympia’s music scene. Each inlay was designed by a different artist, and mine memorializes orchestra leader and pianist Verne Eke. Verne loved musical theater and organized performances before there were performing arts venues in Olympia. Through his determined effort, Harlequin Productions was created, and is still the main stage for local theater here. Later, Verne worked hard to develop the Washington Center for Performing Arts, which continues to bring high-profile performing artists from all over the world.
Verne was well-liked, and his life’s work involved putting others on the stage. I designed his mosaic with his portrait as the focal point, bringing him into the spotlight. The ribbon behind him incorporates piano keys to represent his love of piano. The musical notes on the ribbon were pulled from “Hello Dolly,” one of the shows Verne directed, taken from the line “It’s good to have you back where you belong.” This mosaic is directly in front of the Washington Center. (The logo for the Center is also rendered in mosaic.)
