The Bellevue Botanical Garden, a quiet celebration of the naturalworld, now offers an even richer experience for visitors with the addition of sculptures thatcapture wind and light.

Andrew Carson’s “Large Galaxy,” a 14-foot tall kinetic sculpture that moves with the breeze, marks the main entrance to the 53-acre garden. Step inside “Night Blooming,” a beehive-like dome on the Lost Meadow Trailmade with reclaimed lumber, and the light coming throughgaps in the structure looks like shooting stars in the middle of day.

“It’s very unusual to have two new sculptures in the same decade – let alone the same year,” said Botanical Garden Manager Nancy Kartes.

Mike Peterson of Seattle’s Gallery Mack, a fan of the Botanical Garden, donated “Galaxy” in memory of his long- time partner, Barbara Keith. The stainless steel, glass and copper sculpture adds a year-round splash of color to the garden. The artist’s work can be found in nearly all 50 states and beyond.

Taiji Miyasaka and David Drake created “Night Blooming” for the Bellevue Arts Museum’s “Knock on Wood” exhibition. Miyasaka donated the piece to the city after it was at BAM from 2014 to 2016.

“Few public art pieces are as universally loved as Night Blooming,” Kartes noted. Indeed, on a spring morning, five preschoolers walked in andaround the 13-and-a-half-footdome, fascinated by the way it looks from inside and out.

“Night Blooming” is made of old- growth tamarack and fir boards that had originally been part of larger planks used to build grain silos in eastern Washington in the first half of the 20th century. The piece is reminiscent of Bellevue’s own evolution from an agricultural community into amodern, high-tech hub.

WSU students helped build the artwork, which was then deconstructed into over 50 pieces and transported to Bellevue, where it was reassembled.

SOURCE: Bellevue It’s Your City