Surf II and Beyond: Public Art in Everett

I love Surf II. I often tell people about it, even residents who have lived here a long time and don’t have any idea what I’m talking about.

Surf II is the fan-shaped metal sculpture down by the boat launch on the Everett waterfront. Its 1970s look evokes the eco-consciousness of the era. It brings to mind a whale’s spout, waves crashing against the shore, or a tree’s branches sprouting from a trunk.

I love it for this reason. It looks so ‘70s. It reminds me of the Neil House photos in the library’s archives, an era when the then-mayor of Everett is seen astride a lemon yellow steel-framed road bicycle, talking casually to a constituent at Clark Park. (Ok, it’s probably a staged PR photo, but it seems super idealistic to me, even if in a civic propaganda type of way).

The simple, interlocking shapes of Surf II are open to interpretation. The sculpture has an understated form. It’s a symbol that’s open to interpretation. I personally like to project my love for the natural beauty of Everett -- the surrounding mountains and waves -- onto the cipher of Surf II.

PUBLIC ART AND THE 1%

What’s remarkable about public art in Everett is just how much public art there is to see. The city has a downloadable PDF that shows 37 sculptures around the downtown core, including the Transit Center and the Everett Waterfront. This doesn’t even include the art on display at the Everett Arboretum. You can download the map for a self-guided tour of the city’s art.

How does the city have so much art? In 1974 the city council approved a “One Percent For the Arts” program. This program earmarked one percent of the cost of building or capital improvements of a city-owned project. These costs are spent on permanent public art.

This was a revolutionary program at the time. Everett was basically copying a new idea that was a pilot program in major cities like New York. Over the decades, the city has acquired more art and displayed it prominently, thereby beautifying our downtown.

Here are a few of my favorite public artists and art pieces and why I love them.

James Madison

Madison is a Tulalip master carver. You can see his giant aluminum sculpture Siblings at the Everett Arboretum. It’s a giant tower of cubes forged with a dragonfly motif. The sculpture represents his two sons.

When I interviewed Madison for a local publication, he talked about how his dreams intuitively guide his work. Madison’s sculptures also appear around the county, at Kayak Point, the Mukilteo Lighthouse Beach, and Quil Ceda Village.

Siblings by James Madison // Jake Campbell, Seattle NorthCountry

“Everything I do has a story to it,” says Madison. “Everything has information about my culture, historical stories, stories passed down from my grandfather to my father, to me. Stories so far back we can’t remember how far back.”

Reg Akright

Delta resident Reg Akright works in stone sculpture, creating organic-looking geometric shapes out of stones and welded metal. Often the metal is latticed into a cage containing rocks.

Akright grew up in rugged Wyoming. Throughout his life, he has worked as a bridge ironworker, an underground miner, a mason’s helper, and a bronze chaser. These industrial crafts inform his sculpture, which is created in modular pieces that are ultimately bolted or welded together.

Reg Akright's Belemnite #10 // Richard Porter

See Belemnite #10 on the west side of the public parking garage on Hoyt. It’s a slim obelisk made from Colorado alabaster.

Graffiti murals

To understate the matter, Covid was a real drag for small businesses. During the height of the lockdown, many retailers in the heart of downtown had to shut their doors. To keep civic morale high, the city okayed a graffiti mural event. Artists sponsored by JAG ArtWorks came out to throw some paint around town. Some of Everett’s most iconic murals are the fruits of this pandemic-driven effort.

Graffiti on the Schack by Apexer and Neon // Schack Art Center

Walk downtown and keep your eyes peeled in alleys and in-between buildings -- you’re sure to see bright pops of color where you least expect them.

Surf II

About Surf II. When it came out it was... controversial. The 40,000-pound sculpture originally sat on Colby near California. It was the first piece of art commissioned by the One Percent For the Arts program. Some Everett residents hated it. They mockingly called it “Bigfoot” or the “Whale’s Tail” and even hung the then-mayor in effigy from the sculpture. Whoa. That seems extreme.

The city moved Surf II to the Everett waterfront in 1983. There it’s been chilling ever since, slowly corroding in the briny air. Perfect.

Curiously, also in 1983, a movie called Surf II was released. The film was a total outlier, though it’s since become something of a cult classic. IMDB describes the plot like this: “A disgruntled nerd, who was bullied in high school, creates Buzz Cola, a soft drink that turns surfers into mindless zombies.” The whole thing was a kooky gag. There was no original Surf movie. The film review website Rotten Tomatoes gives it a 53% score.