A Different Kind of Public Art in Olympia

An audio artwork called "Bus Station" will be installed in Olympia, WA's downtown transit station, to be heard over the public-address system.

1 minute read

August 3, 2008, 9:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"'I've always had this fantasy of taking over that sound system,' said Jenn Kliese, who created 'Bus Station' with fellow musician Jeff Shannon. 'I thought of it years ago when they started putting classical music on there. I thought, what would it be like to create another kind of soundscape that surprises people or engages them in some way?'"

"'Bus Station' is one of eight projects in the second Here Today, kicking off Saturday at the Olympia Farmers Market and continuing throughout August. The temporary public art projects - including visual art, performance art and writing - will be seen and heard throughout downtown.

'People will encounter these projects whether they go looking for the art or whether the art just happens to be in the space that they're in,' said Stephanie Johnson, arts and events manager for the city of Olympia. 'Here Today allows our citizens to look at our community through the eyes of these artists, and to gain a different perspective on where they live.'"

Thursday, July 31, 2008 in The Olympian

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I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

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