Art in Shoreline's Public Places Owned by Other Entities Shoreline Fire District
17525 Aurora Ave N Shoreline Fire Department Collection 2002
Shoreline Fire Dept. Training Center, window and interior pieces   Stuart Nakamura, artist. Etched glass window, Painted wood reception desk treatment, Hand-cut aluminum skylight
Artist’s statement: The artwork that impacts the Shoreline Fire Department Training Facility depicts service-related imagery for their emergency and firefighting activities at three locations: the entry wall windows, the reception desk, and the skylight opening above the lobby. Using icons which symbolize the service of the fire department - the caduceus, the axe, the fire helmet, and overlapping hands, suggestive of ties to the community - a variety of materials were used to respond to architectural elements at each site. Pattern and rotational symmetry play a role in defining the design elements which are repeated throughout the installation. This iconography was developed after collaboration with members of the firefighting and EMS staff. Fire hose design plays a large role in the suspended work, and the water theme is also used in the etched glass design at the public entry to the station; the usage of polished aluminum tread plates in the reception desk inlay is a material tie-in to the tread plates on the fire trucks. The goal of the artwork is to readily identify the work and service of this training facility to its community.