Bus Shelter Mural Program Gallery
Windows to the Past
© 1993 Susan Point, all rights reserved
Medium: Acrylic latex semi-gloss enamel with polyurethane clear-coat
Located at Denny Way & First Ave. N. in Seattle
Windows to the Past
This mural incorporates traditional Coast Salish elements in a contemporary style. The theme of the mural reflects the historical significance of this particular site—that near this shelter Native Americans erected aerial nets for catching ducks. It is said that ducks which were "started up" on Lake Union would always fly over the low place between Queen Anne Hill and what used to be Denny Hill. Duck snares were accordingly set at this point.
The mural consists of two traditional Coast Salish objects—a spindle whorl motif and a weaving motif. The spindle whorl is a disc that acts as a flywheel on a spinning device used to spin and ply mountain goat wool into yarn. The yarn was then woven into blankets, which were important symbols of wealth and prestige. The imagery within the spindle whorl motif depicts a Native American holding a portion of a large aerial net. On top of the net, flanking the human form, are two sawbill ducks.
Each of the mural panels is intended to give the impression that one is looking into a space beyond—a window to the past. On the large upper panel this impression is reinforced with the inclusion of a landscape running across the bottom portion. The landscape of hills and trees represents the way the land once looked. Traditional Coast Salish weaving motifs are integrated into the mural to complement the imagery within the spindle whorl motif.
Artist
Susan A. Point is a Coast Salish Indian artist. She was born in 1952 and lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. She uses the form and meaning found in traditional Coast Salish art to create innovative work in a wide range of mediums. "I feel the role of Native art is to continually evolve, to express the cultural beliefs and changes of its community now and in the future."
Funding
The artwork in this bus shelter was commissioned in 1993 by the Metro 1% for Art Program. This commemoration of the county’s indigenous people was a Metro collaboration with the King County Arts Commission project known as Meeting of Cultures.
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