WWU To Host ‘Bayview Station’ Artist George Trakas Dec. 2

Western Washington University will host artist George Trakas for a lecture and discussion at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 2, in Fraser 101 on the WWU campus.

The event will be free and open to the public.

George Trakas has been a leader on the national public art scene for the last six decades. In his discussion, he will discuss his outdoor sculpture “Bayview Station,” the history of its installation at Western in 1987, and how it relates to his other artwork. Bayview Station will undergo major renovation in 2016.

Located on the steep slope below the performing arts center plaza, Bayview Station consists of a welded steel catwalk and wood platforms that provide an open view over Bellingham Bay. It is an environmental artwork that responds perfectly to the physical site and creates a connection between the city and the University.

Trakas is best known for his permanent public artworks, located in six countries, and temporary site-specific installations. His work has also been exhibited by major art museums and is in the permanent collections of the Louisiana Museum in Denmark, and the Guggenheim Museum in New York City.

Among his many awards, Trakas has received the American Academy of Arts and Letters Merit Medal for Sculpture (1996), a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship (1989), and a Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship (1982).

For more information, contact Chris Casquilho, Western Washington University College of Fine and Performing Arts manager of Marketing and Special Events, at (360) 650-2829 or chris.casquilho@wwu.edu.