Yelm’s Prairie Line Trail now has some eye candy at the start of the trailhead on Yelm Avenue as art commissioners unveiled the “Ponderosa” copper wind sculpture in the morning hours of Dec. 13.
Yelm art commissioners Steve Craig, Heidi Haslinger and Steve Harshfield attended the sculpture reveal and said they’re thrilled to see the public display of art in the city. The three reiterated that this is “just the beginning” of creative arts in Yelm.
“As chair of the commission, we’re very excited about having this first art installation with the sculpture,” Craig said. “We’re looking forward to this being just the beginning of art in Yelm, including all phases of art, whether it’s dance, theater, music, all of it. It’s just the start.”
The sculpture itself was created by artist Lyman Whitaker, according to Haslinger and Craig.
“It’s a copper wind sculpture. It’s name is Ponderosa,” Haslinger said. “The City Council liked the fact that it’s a bit of a tree representation. It’s very Pacific Northwest.”
Craig said he came across the artwork in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
“This led to a gallery in Oregon, and there are only a handful of galleries in the United States that handle this artist’s work,” he said.
Haslinger said the Yelm Art Commission had many options from which to choose but liked the Ponderosa piece.
“We’re really pleased to see a visible piece of art in Yelm to mark the Prairie Line Trail,” Haslinger added. “We’re looking forward to more for sure.”
2024 will be a big year for Yelm’s Art Commission, Craig said. The commission worked throughout 2023 to gain signatures on surveys from local community members indicating their support. To establish the creative district, organizers wanted to poll 10% to 20% of the population, which means around 2,000 residents of the city.
“This is just the beginning. We’re envisioning a lot of public art in the city of Yelm,” Craig said. “We’re coming to the end of the creative district process. I think we can be approved by the state’s art commission. I think in 2024, this will be a very big deal and a high priority for the arts commission.”
For more information about Yelm’s Art Commission, visit the City of Yelm’s website.
