Art has the power to transform a community. It can reshape public spaces and enrich lives. It can add a magical, fun element of surprise. Public art can also take drab areas and transform them into unique places that draw visitors.

When the Port of Kennewick’s Commissioners adopted master plans for Clover Island renewal and Columbia Drive redevelopment, they embraced public art as a critical element. The Commissioners understood that Kennewick’s historic riverfront is special and that it belongs to the community. They chose to invest in public art as a way to bring people and new businesses to east Kennewick, to add visual interest, to revitalize historic downtown, to highlight the riverfront environment, and to honor the culture and heritage of the diverse peoples of this region.

In this way, art has become an ambassador for the Tri-Cities community, helping us share the stories of our history, culture, people, and lifestyle.

A utility box at the corner of Washington Street and East Columbia Drive was wrapped with vintage-style artwork featuring Clover Island and Columbia Gardens. The project was a collaboration between the Port and City of Kennewick as the partners work to revitalize Kennewick’s Historic Waterfront District.

See it today at 4 E. Columbia Drive in Kennewick.

The outside of this shipping container-turned-restroom at Columbia Gardens showcases colorful floral imagery inspired by donated photographs.

Yellow floret and white puffball dandelions sweep across the container’s north wall facing the waterfront. The south wall facing Columbia Drive features stylized images of Heliopsis False Sunflowers. The other container walls showcase vibrant images of Gaillardia Blanket Flowers (east side) and Black-Eyed Susans (west side).

A hand-painted electrical conduit creates the illusion of a large-scale stem. A dandelion sits atop the stem so people can stand alongside it and “make a wish” by pretending to blow away the pappus fluff.

The container art adds to the collection of public art at Columbia Gardens. See it today at 325 E. Columbia Gardens Way in Kennewick.

Three transformer boxes and eight utility boxes at Columbia Gardens Wine & Artisan Village are the first Benton PUD utility boxes wrapped with artist imagery in the Tri-Cities.

The new public art features photographs of vineyards, grapes and natural grasses by Kim Fetrow Photography. The images complement the wine village’s theme and blend in with the surroundings.

One transformer is adjacent to Gordon Estate Winery at 313 E. Columbia Gardens Way, and the others are near Bartholomew Winery at 425 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

The new utility box art joins the Mid-Columbia Latino Heritage Mural, Aspirations sculpture and Rolling Mass bus shelter public art installations at Columbia Gardens.

The weathered steel transit shelter was the first artistic bus shelter in the Mid-Columbia.

The innovative shelter is imbued with the symbolism of water, wine barrels and wine grapes. The wave-like canopy reflects the movement of water rolling down the Columbia River. Large glass marbles in the burgundy, light green and champagne colors of wine grapes are embedded in the concrete bench, and within each of the three panels which form the shelter.

The artwork celebrates the idea of the river serving as the lifeblood of the regional community and how it sustains the many vineyards that compose the local landscape, as well as the movement of people who depend upon local mass transit as their primary way of getting from one place to another.

This reclaimed and weather-patinaed metal sculpture features a series of ascending waves, each leaning on the previous curve, rising higher and higher.

The artwork symbolizes the partners’ aspirations and concerted efforts to reshape, revitalize and reclaim Kennewick’s historic waterfront.

Four artistic renditions of sapáxikas, meaning “willow fish traps,” were added as the final elements of The Gathering Place on the south side of Clover Island in fall 2018.

The artwork honors the Tribes’ tradition of capturing fish by placing large basket-like traps, woven from willows and weighted with rocks, into the Columbia River. The artist worked with the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to envision, refine and create these iconic pieces.

The 12-foot tall structures line a public pathway overlooking the marina harbor, provide a dramatic vertical element framing The Gathering Place art installation.

The Artwork’s Story

The Mid-Columbia Heritage Mural is a culmination of more than two year’s work by the Port of Kennewick and Latino community members who had approached the Port looking for places to tell their story through quality public art.

According to the artist, he intended to represent the people who have contributed to the land with dignity and honesty by exploring themes of agriculture and wine labor, and the Latino history in the Mid-Columbia region. He aimed to use imagery that represents the values of family, a strong work ethic and cultural pride. The colors the artist chose are vibrant and realistic, and the murals themselves are both figurative and realistic with embedded iconic emblems, typography and symbols.

The all-volunteer Latino Heritage Mural Committee worked with the Port to extend a call-to-artists and then reviewed, selected and recommended their preferred artist to Port of Kennewick Commissioners. The committee also identified what response, sense, or feeling they wanted viewers of the artwork to experience and along with the Latino community, the committee provided input to the artist throughout the process.

The project is named Wiyákuktpa, meaning The Gathering Place. The Gathering Place highlights the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation’s heritage and customs of gathering tule reeds and capturing fish around Ánwaš – the area in and around what is now known as Clover Island.  The Bronze statues are titled, The Exchange, and the artist worked with CTUIR members to capture the essence of a traditionally-clad figure gathering reeds who is looking across the water towards a young figure, dressed in typical modern attire, who is also gathering Tule–symbolizing the past looking towards future, and future reflecting on the past.  Three panels placed around The Gathering Place also share about the Tribes’ past, present, and future endeavors.

The artwork also symbolizes the partnership between the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation and Port of Kennewick.

Many people helped influence, guide and inspire the project. Special thanks to Bobbie Conner, Malissa Minthorn Winks, Marjorie Waheneka, Randall Melton, Jennifer Karson Engum, Leah Conner, Tres Wandschneider, Elliot Gottfriedson Baker, Les Minthorn, Teara Farrow Ferman, Gail Redberg, and other Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation members who served as models for the statues and shared stories, photos, and history with the artist. Several of these individuals also helped research and craft the signage.

Fair Game reflects both the beauty and struggle inherent in the circle of life sustained by the Columbia River. This reclaimed-metal artwork showcases eagles fighting over a salmon.

The artist is a shop teacher and counselor at a high school in Libby, Montana and his passion is helping keep his students in school by teaching life skills such as welding and producing eagle sculptures that have been installed throughout Libby, giving students a sense of community pride.

This steel structure is interactive: push on the artwork, and it will rotate on its center pivot to engage different vistas within the open center circle.

Mother of Reinvention II overlooks the Columbia River and allows visitors to enjoy different perspectives of the Cable Bridge to the east, Pioneer Memorial Bridge (blue bridge), and the Clover Island Lighthouse to the west, as well as waterfowl and boaters as they enjoy the Columbia River.

The ship anchor, chain and bollards installed at the east end of the Clover Island notch honors the shipbuilding history of the Port and Clover Island.

The Board of Trustees of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) presented the Port of Kennewick Board of Commissioners with a ceremonial, pow-wow style drum adorned with the CTUIR Tribal patch and painted with the Port of Kennewick logo.

Presented during the second joint meeting between the Tribes’ Board of Trustees and the Port’s Board of Commissioners in April 2013, the drum honors the historical significance of having a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) established between the organizations.

The drum is displayed in the Port’s office lobby on Clover Island in Kennewick.

The pow-wow style drum, titled Yellowbird, features the image of Chief Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox or Yellowbird (as he was known in English). The painting depicts the influential Walla Walla Chief in his 60s, from around the 1850s, adorned in a customary bone necklace and war paint.

Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox was an important Chief of the Walla Walla Tribe during a critical period in Northwest history. When white settlers began moving in and claiming lands guaranteed by the Treaty of 1855 to be reserved for Indians, violence between settlers and Indian’s escalated. Although Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox approached the militia forces in peace, under the white flag of surrender, he was taken hostage, killed and dismembered. Accordingly, the Walla Walla people believe that until Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox’s remains are respectfully buried, his spirit will wander forever.

This drum, with its likeness of Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox was handcrafted, painted and presented to the Port’s Board of Commissioners in 2011 and is on display at the Port office on Clover Island.

Note: The artist’s great-great-grandfather was Chief Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox and that name has since passed with honor through generations to future leaders of their family. As such the late artist Chief Carl D. Sampson was also known as Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox or Yellowbird, and during his time as leader of the Walla Walla Tribe he worked to identify and rebury his ancestor’s remains and bring peace and rest to Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox’s spirit.

Atway Chief Carl D. Sampson’s son Donald Sampson received the honor of being named Walla Walla Tribal leader in late 2018 and as such, will continue the name Peo-Peo-Mox-Mox and carry the title Chief of the Walla Walla.

Like the ship anchor, chain and bollards, the propeller artwork honors the shipbuilding history of the Port and Clover Island. This installation in front of Cedars Restaurant offers a fun and whimsical re-use of industrial elements as public art.

The Family Group artwork is the focal point of the Metz Plaza and recognizes the Columbia River’s appeal to families of all generations. The artwork expresses the way in which a family would embrace each other in a “hug.”

The artist created this free-stranding three-dimensional sculpture of brushed steel and copper upon being told that he and his wife were to become first time grandparents–the first and second generations embrace to celebrate a new generation.

Call of the River was created to honor the pioneers who settled Kennewick in the early 1900s and the role the Columbia River played in their daily lives.

The East Benton County Historical Society provided several photos of early life on the river, one of which featured the Smith sisters in the early 1900s dressed in their Sunday finery and leisurely rowing a small boat near the shoreline. That image served as the inspiration for the final artwork and an interpretive panel installed alongside the statue.

The 62-foot-tall lighthouse has a commanding presence on Clover Island’s west shoreline. The U.S. Coast Guard-approved lighthouse is the first one built in the U.S. since 1962.

The lighthouse was built as a four-section, pre-cast concrete structure. The tower houses a solar-powered beacon which blinks a small white light every four seconds and serves as a fully-functioning Private Aid to Navigation (PATON).

The Lighthouse Plaza was designed as a public gathering space and has become a favored location for weddings and group events. (Facilities Use Form)

The colored concrete within the plaza was poured and stamped to represent a beacon of light emanating away from the lighthouse. The plaza offers stunning river views and also features benches, landscaped seating walls, and 360-degree, ADA-compliant access around the lighthouse.

The Clover Island Gateway Arch defines the island’s entryway and denotes its synergistic relationship with historic downtown Kennewick.

The gateway arch is a 19,000 pound, painted steel beam with LED backlighting. The main focal point is a 28 foot tall, art-deco archway, which spans the road connecting Clover Island with mainland Kennewick. Concrete, galvanized steel and stone were specially selected to minimize maintenance and to reflect natural elements found within the Columbia River basin.

The three powder-coated steel unfurled “sails” of Catch the Wind, represents both the wind’s power and the appeal of boating on the Columbia River. The call to artists requested art that reflects the Columbia River’s role in the lives and livelihoods of area residents.

The artwork’s striking red color mimics the crimson glow of sunsets that are often reflected on the Columbia as the sun sets over the river.

Clover Island Yacht Club member and artist John Tucker hand-crafted several decorative bowls from reclaimed wood recovered from a large tree removed when the Port constructed a new Clover Island Yacht Club/mixed-use building. The bowls serve as nostalgic mementos of the original Clover Island Yacht Club facility.

One of the beautiful bowls was presented to the Port of Kennewick in 2009 and is displayed in the lobby of the Port office building.

Each year, the Port of Kennewick decorates an evergreen tree, located in The Willows area off of Columbia Drive and Clover Island Drive in east Kennewick. Red, white and blue lights adorn the 50-plus-foot-tall tree in honor of the men and women who have served or are serving the United States in military service.

Port of Kennewick is pleased to be a small part of helping honor our Veterans’ sacrifice and creating special holiday memories for families.

Collective Memory: Ellie is a fiberglass sculpture located in the lobby of the Port office. The artwork is one of three pieces commissioned by Cascades Conservation Partnership to create awareness of salmon and their habitat. Ellensburg artist Don Brontsema had artistic freedom to paint the sculpture and demonstrated his talent in creating a neo-impressionistic vignette of Eastern Washington’s forest, prairie and desert country.

When Kennewick citizens, Don and Barb Carter obtained Ellie, they chose to donate the sculpture to the Port for display in a waterfront setting accessible to the public. Their vision was that the artwork would serve to demonstrate the need to preserve the species and maintain their habitat along the Columbia River without limiting boaters’ ability to share these waters.