Bainbridge Island’s Public Art Committee announced the winner of its People’s Choice Award for its rotating outdoor sculpture exhibition, Something New. The project brought three bold pieces to the island’s downtown corridor in 2018. Of the three, Iris Flare by Lin McJunkin and Milo White captured the community’s interest and received the most votes for the award.

The artists were honored at an official award ceremony on Friday, June 7, just prior to that month’s First Friday Art Walk. The ceremony took place at the winning piece’s location along Winslow Way. Attendees were addressed by Milo White, who fabricated the pieces metal components. Representatives of the Public Art Committee also spoke and presented the $1,000 People’s Choice Award honorarium was  to the artists.

Iris Flare has sat just outside of Town & Country Market at the corner of Winslow Way and Ericksen  Avenue since June of last year. Its distinctive purple steel and green glass greet both islanders and visitors traveling up and down Bainbridge Island’s main street. Metal sculptor Milo White and glass artist Lin McJunkin have collaborated on many pieces of outdoor public work that can be seen around the Pacific Northwest.

The Something New exhibition aims to provide both a dynamic public art experience and an ongoing opportunity for sculptors from around the Pacific Northwest to show their work. Each year, the project brings a collection of sculptures on loan to three outdoor sites around Winslow. The infrastructure at each site is permanent. However, the artwork on display is not. After each yearlong exhibition, new art is selected and rotated into place, bringing “something new” to Bainbridge Island year after year.

Iris Flare remains available for purchase until it is removed from its downtown location, as does Three Color Spires by Gerry Newcomb. The former is valued at $5,000; the latter, located in the harborside plaza at the southern end of Madison Avenue, Is $6,000. Contact Arts & Humanities Bainbridge at 206.842.7901 or at admin@ahbainbridge.org with interest.

The third sculpture from the inaugural year of Something New, Hand in Hand by Will Robinson, was recently acquired by the City of Bainbridge Island and will remain in its location in Waterfront Park. New works will be installed at the sites vacated by Iris Flare and Three Color Spires in July, 2019.

The Public Art Committee (PAC) is a program of Arts & Humanities Bainbridge. PAC is a group of citizen volunteers dedicated to enhancing public space through access to public art. PAC administers the City of Bainbridge Island’s Public Art Program and is responsible for proposing new works to the City Council, assisting with design and implementation of installations, and advising the City on maintenance of the existing collection. More information can be found at ahbbainbridge.org/public-art/.

You can explore the City’s full public art collection as well as other pieces of public art on Bainbridge Island here at Currents Online.