Mural underneath bridge to remain

By Florangela Davila
Seattle Times staff reporter

THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Jill Rothenberger puts finishing touches on part of a mural yesterday along Northeast Campus Parkway near the University of Washington. Rothenberger is one of 40 artists, amateurs and professionals, who have painted the mural.

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"One person's graffiti is another person's Monet," Liz Rankin, city of Seattle employee, said yesterday about a soon-to-be completed mural stretching underneath the University Bridge.

The mural is an eclectic montage, funded in part by the city — and it was reportedly at risk of being painted over by the city because it resembled graffiti, according to mural director Jill Rothenberger.

But yesterday afternoon, the city notified Rothenberger that the mural could remain as is.

Rankin, spokeswoman for the city Transportation Department, called the whole thing "a misunderstanding" and said the city wasn't trying to be an art critic but rather a regulator.

Rothenberger, not used to being in the middle of a controversy, was content.

	THOMAS JAMES HURST / THE SEATTLE TIMES Evan Gilman, left, and Toby Kremple, two Seattle artists, work on a portion of the mural yesterday along Northeast Campus Parkway near the University of Washington.

"This is really a sign to me that the government will listen," said the 24-year-old, who first saw the potential of this gray slab of concrete when she was a freshman at the University of Washington and living in the nearby Lander Hall dorm. She has since graduated from the UW.

Yesterday, shortly after receiving a thumbs-up from the city, the artist sat on a couple of paint cans and signed the mural in raspberry paint on behalf of "Local Volunteer Artists '04."

Several passers-by — a teenager, a retiree, a dog trainer who had the day off — praised the mural and cheered when Rothenberger relayed the news.

The mural project began more than a year ago with a proposal from Rothenberger. She envisioned turning an "unremarkable" wall on Northeast Campus Parkway into 760 feet of colored energy.

The mural's theme: bridges and connections. Sketches were approved. Paperwork finalized. Rothenberger secured $1,675 in a matching grant from the Department of Neighborhoods and $800 from the city's Public Utilities Department.

Painting began in June by amateur and professional artists who ranged in age from 11 years old into their 30s.

Rothenberger said she told each artist that the city had ruled out using spray paint as a medium, but when some artists used it anyway she didn't feel she could tell them to use something else.

She also said that when the project attracted artists who asked to join in, she didn't want to turn them down for a lack of space. There was a 100-foot, blank wall on the other side of the street, so some artists painted there.

"The main requirement of the grant was to actively engage the involvement of the community," Rothenberger said. What emerged is a chorus in paint: aerial views of skyscrapers, impressionistic ribbons, honeycombs and beetles — and the unmistakable script of graffiti art.

Last week, according to Rothenberger, city employees told her portions of the mural that looked like graffiti would be painted over.

She argued that the artists had chosen to paint in "a graffiti style" but that it was hardly vandalism.

Passer-by Peter Stewart, a retired Boeing engineer, agreed, calling the entire mural "quite worthwhile."

"I walk in the mornings and I see graffiti and it's disturbing. This isn't that."

The mural was the subject of several news reports yesterday. City officials had planned a meeting for tomorrow with the artists but decided to resolve the issue quickly.

Rankin said graffiti is a concern in the city "but these kids worked under (Rothenberger's) tutelage and turned the wall into something creative."

Florangela Davila: 206-464-2916 or fdavila@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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