Public Art & Cultural Legacy
Art that tells stories. A legacy that serves communities.
Explore ten examples of public art created by Tulalip artist James Madison before the establishment of the James Madison Public Art Foundation. These works illustrate how art can share cultural heritage, enrich public places, and connect communities.
Cultural heritage in public places
Art beyond the gallery.
Over approximately 25 years, James Madison completed more than 70 permanent public art installations across Western Washington. The examples below span Tribal, civic, educational, healthcare, and other publicly accessible settings. They provide historical and educational context for the Foundation’s planned public art, preservation, and interpretation programs.
Selected installations
Ten works. Many places and stories.
A representative selection from the Foundation’s Prior Work Appendix, presented for cultural documentation and public education.
24-Foot Story Pole
A large-scale story pole in a public lobby, sharing layered Indigenous narratives through carving and symbolic figures.
Public value: Offers visitors opportunities to encounter Indigenous storytelling in a widely accessible setting.
Black Fish Story Pole
Orca forms move across a vertical carving at an outdoor amphitheater, reflecting cultural and ecological connections to marine life.
Public value: Connects public park visitors with Coast Salish cultural and environmental themes.
Eagle Story Pole
An eagle figure conveys themes of protection, leadership, and presence within a healthcare setting.
Public value: Brings Indigenous symbolism into a place of healing for patients, families, and staff.
Family
Three orca forms create a unified composition expressing family and interconnection.
Public value: Reinforces themes of unity, identity, and cultural continuity in an educational environment.
The Grandmother, Ki-ya
A life-sized grandmother figure welcomes visitors to a cultural institution.
Public value: Supports cultural education and Indigenous heritage in a museum setting.
Salmon Run
Salmon ascend through a ladder-like sculptural form, suggesting migration and renewal.
Public value: Links environmental awareness with cultural storytelling in a natural public setting.
Siblings
Two vertical sculptural forms explore relationship and balance through natural motifs.
Public value: Creates a contemplative connection between art, nature, and cultural symbolism.
Transformation of a Seawolf
A mythological seawolf transforms in a dynamic sculpture placed along an urban street.
Public value: Brings Indigenous cultural storytelling into a visible civic environment.
Water People
Large glass murals present an underwater world of orcas, salmon, and ancestral imagery.
Public value: Shares Indigenous culture with a broad public audience in a transportation hub.
Venus and Mars
A circular panel combines celestial imagery with Coast Salish design elements representing balance and continuity.
Public value: Adds culturally meaningful imagery to a Tribal healthcare environment.
Rooted in art. Dedicated to the public good.
Preserving heritage. Connecting communities.
The Foundation’s planned charitable and educational activities are distinct from these historical commissions. Its purpose is to support public art and cultural learning for community benefit.
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