Public Art

Designer: Milenko Matanovic
Year: 1996
Location: Intersection of 15th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Katsura Street (See Map)

Description: Artist Milenko Matanovic designed Ashland Park, Issaquah Highlands’ first park, as a living example of the community’s guiding principles he helped to develop, including environmental stewardship and community building. Many of the materials used are local or reclaimed. Milenko incorporated a carved 65-foot cedar totem pole to “celebrate” the focal point of the park where the surrounding four roads converged. Surrounding boulders and stones in the seating walls were recovered from the park itself or nearby construction sites. The park also includes a unique fountain and carved light posts. A grassy hillside provides a natural amphitheater to admire the park’s aesthetic and promote community gatherings. Ashland Park was designed to be art as a place rather than as an object. While the materials used require more regular maintenance, Milenko believes naturally occurring materials and hand-crafted designs create more local character.

Learn More:
“Restoring Ashland Park, with Milenko” (Connections, July 2016)
“Gathering Places and Public Art” (MilenkoMatanovic.com)

Artist: Denny Croston
Year: 2012
Location: Blakely Hall, 2550 NE Park Drive

Description: The Issaquah Highlands community honored Vicki Stier, Port Blakely vice president, and former executive director of the Issaquah Highlands Community Association (IHCA) and Highlands Council, with this sculpture when she retired in 2012. Issaquah artist, Denny Croston, created the sculpture; he specializes in creating yard art made from scrap metal and discarded items.

Designer: Hewitt Architects/Dillon Works
Year: 2014
Location: Grand Ridge Plaza, between Big Fish Grill and Regal (See Map)

Description: Master Developer Port Blakely commissioned this sculpture to “celebrate the collaborative vision of Port Blakely Communities, the City of Issaquah, and the Issaquah Community in creating the sustainable urban village of Issaquah Highlands.” The three steel pillars, ranging from 6 to 12 feet in height, each represent a different native tree — cedar, fir, and maple — and pay homage to Issaquah’s forested mountains and Port Blakely’s work as a forestry company.

Learn More:
“Community Pillars Offers Something New to Discover at Issaquah Highlands” (Connection, July 2014)

Artist: Ned Kahn
Year: 2006
Location: Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride (See Map)

Description: Making up a significant portion of the Issaquah Highlands Park & Ride exterior, this kinetic artwork is an abstract version of the Vashon Glacier that moved through Issaquah 15,000 years ago. Each steel square is uniquely textured and moves in its own distinct way in the natural wind. According to the California-based artist, “Glacial Façade’s surface undulates in the breeze as if made of cloud or water. Matching the drama of the site and marrying the inspiration to technical invention, Kahn’s artwork presents a constantly changing face to the daily commuter and one-time visitor alike, and transforms a simple concrete structure into a luminous presence…”

Learn More:
Glacial Facade (NedKahn.com)

Artist: Ed McCarthy
Year: 2021
Location: High Street Linear Park, located in the Westridge neighborhood (See Map)

Description: While the newest Issaquah Highlands park is not yet open to the public, you can glimpse some of its artworks from the street outside the park. According to the artist, Westridge developer, Taylor Morrison, wanted some large sculptures for the park and selected these steel pieces from the artist’s existing portfolio (the artworks were previously displayed in Kirkland). The artist intended the collection to be welcoming and friendly, and described some individual pieces as “whimsical in shape.” According to the artist, “All the sculptures are based on city objects, and they take on the shape of a human form in one way or another.”

Artist: Leon White
Year: 2005
Location: On Park Drive Northeast, across from Fire Station #73 (See Map)

Description: According to the city, which originally purchased the piece, this artwork consists of four powder-coated steel sculptures, ranging from 8 to 14 feet in height. The artist was inspired by the flowers in his garden, particularly irises.

Please note: This artwork is located in a median that is inaccessible to pedestrians. Please view safely from the sidewalk. 

Artist: Michael Sweeney
Year: 2004
Location: Central Park (See Map)

Description: Located on a traffic island in Central Park, the sculpture creates a focal point in the park. According to the artist, “the rectangular opening of the piece provides a framed vista, drawing the eye through the sculpture to the view beyond.” While the artist intended the sculpture to be kinetic, it never functioned properly, and the artist passed away before the piece could be reworked. According to Amy Dukes, arts program administrator for the city, “The [city] arts commission has looked at the possibility of making it truly kinetic and received estimates, but it is cost-prohibitive at this time.”

Please note: This artwork is located in a traffic circle that is inaccessible to pedestrians. Please view safely from the sidewalk. 

Artist: Jean Whitesavage & Nick Lyle
Year: 2003
Location: Several locations on the Rainier and Issaquah-Preston trails, near the I-90/Exit 18 interchange (see map below)

Description: Commissioned by Sound Transit in 2002, the eight steel sculptures that make up the “Understory” collection were inspired by the understory plants that grow in our local forests. At the time of commission, the artists did not know exactly where their pieces would go as the entire site was under construction. In their research, the Whidbey Island-based artists hiked Tiger Mountain and the Tradition Plateau trails and found themselves admiring the understory plants. “We felt a kinship with understory plants that occur in this imposing landscape of tall conifers and iconic mountains. We decided to create oversized portraits of several species of these plants and place them along the proposed hiking/biking trail. They would act as signage for a personal journey along the trail.”

Learn More:
Understory, Issaquah (WhitesavageandLyle.com)

How to view the sculptures: 

• Walk down the trail below Discovery West and Swedish Issaquah that parallels Highlands Drive Northeast to reach the Issaquah-Preston Trail (the top of this trail is at the intersection of Highlands Drive Northeast and Northeast Discovery Drive). Go through the tunnel to cross under Highlands Drive Northeast to reach the Rainier Trail.
• Park at the East Sunset Way Trailhead and walk north along East Sunset Way to reach the Rainier Trail on the right. Go through the tunnel to cross under Highlands Drive Northeast to reach the Issaquah-Preston Trail.
• Note: A portion of the Issaquah-Preston Trail is closed until 2023. Currently, the closure does not impact viewing “Understory.” 

Four city-owned utility boxes in Issaquah Highlands are part of the city of Issaquah’s utility box art program; the material used is graffiti- and weather-resistant and does not affect the utility box’s function.

• “High Summer” by Fred Lisaius (pictured). Installed in 2018, located at the intersection of Northeast Park Drive and 10th Avenue Northeast (See Map). According to the artist, “This painting was inspired by my love of nature and gardening. Some of my favorite plants in my garden are the silver or grey plants. There is something elegant about them and they complement the more colorful plants beautifully.”
• “Night Trees” by Mardie Rhodes. Installed in 2018, located at the intersection of Northeast Park Drive and 15th Avenue Northeast (See Map).
• “Paragliders” by Stacey Boyd. Installed in 2016, located at the intersection of 9th Avenue Northeast and Northeast Discovery Drive (See Map).
• “Grizzly” by Nivedita Saju Menon. Installed in 2019, located at the intersection of Highlands Drive Northeast and Northeast Federal Drive (See Map).

Artist: Milenko Matanovic
Year: Late 1990s
Location: 1907 NE Park Drive

Description: Created to improve the view of the water tower as seen from homes across the street, the abstract sculpture alludes to the sun, clouds, and rain. The brushed stainless-steel material reflects light; the sculpture’s color evolves depending on how it catches the sunlight.

Artist: Lydia Aldredge
Year: 2018
Location: Central Park (See Map)

Description: According to the city of Issaquah, the trail network linking the city with surrounding mountains and lakes inspired the artist to create this powder-coated aluminum and steel sculpture, its undulating form suggesting a hillside trail through the forest. The piece was dismantled in 2021 to address some welding issues and should be reinstalled in Spring 2022. Photo provided by the city of Issaquah.