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Overview A popular feature of the Bellevue Sculpture Exhibition is the Teen Project, a hands-on experience in public sculpture that deepens teen understanding and appreciation for the considerations that go into the making, preserving, and stewarding of public art. This year, students from International School and Bellevue, Newport, and Sammamish high schools, as well as teens from the Ground Zero Teen Center, offer their take on “green” by propelling us into the world of geocaching and travel bugs. In partnership with the Bellevue Schools Foundation and Bellevue Boys and Girls Club, our teen participants created more than 200 small-scale sculptures out of recycled and renewable materials. The sculptures were then sent out into the world via geocaches, where the general public can pick up, interact with, and move the artwork from place to place. Purpose Intended as a microcosm of a public artwork’s lifecycle, this year’s project offers teens an opportunity to use recycled materials – including aluminum and glass, surplus wire and found objects – to create a sculpture fit for the public realm and steward it through its adventures, including the whole range of reactions and interactions the public has with the art. |
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Geocaching There are hundreds of thousands of geocaches around the world. Each was created by a participant in the game who gathered up a few little odds and ends and put them in a watertight container. The next step is to hide the container (or "geocache") outdoors somewhere, record the location's coordinates using a GPS receiver, and then post those coordinates on the Web. Using online clues and a GPS receiver, other players then find the cache, sign the log book, and return the cache to its hiding spot. In addition to a log book for recording visits, a cache may contain small objects that the finder can trade for another object. When players find a geocache, they also record their find, stories, pictures and other information online, bridging the real and virtual worlds. Travel Bugs A Travel Bug is a mobile, trackable trading item that is placed in one geocache with a travel goal: a destination or route set by its originator. Geocachers help a Travel Bug reach its goal by moving it from one cache to another cache that is (hopefully) closer to the Bug's destination. Teen artists involved in this project set unique goals for their Travel Bugs, with the ultimate destination being a return trip to City Hall to become part of the evolving Teen Project display. For more information on geocaching, see www.geocachingkids.com or www.geocaching.com. |
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The Exhibit
Pictured above is a rendering of the exhibit as it appears at Bellevue City Hall. Below are photographs of the exhibit, including just a few of the Travel Bugs. You may also see the entire list of Sculptural Travel Bugs with links to their photos and travels. Later in the project, we will post selected stories and photos here. If you would like to go on a sculpture hunt in the Downtown Park, you may download the activity sheet here. |
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Credits and Acknowledgements The Sculptural Travel Bug project was proposed by Bellevue Arts commissioner, Genevieve Tremblay. The project was led by Public Art Project Coordinator, Tamar Benzikry-Stern and Arts Specialist, Mary Pat Byrne. Seth! Leary was the geocaching consultant for the project, guiding the collaboration with the students and their instructors. The capable and intrepid teachers on this project were: Jason Moodie, Amy Robertson, Faye Scanell, Enid Smith Becker, and the leadership team at Ground Zero Teen Center. Exhibition design/build and web site design were created by NRG! Exhibits. Exhibit logo designed by Kendall Ross Brand Development + Design. Additional and valuable support was provided by Groundspeak, Inc.
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Funding for the project was made possible by the
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