History of artist: George Trakas grew up in Quebec Canada, received his bachelor’s degree in art history, and later became an environmental sculptor. His artwork is mostly contemporary art that he specifically creates depending on the location that he is making the art in. One of Trakas’ most popular infrastructures is a nature walk, at the water’s edge located at Newtown Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant in Brooklyn, New York. Another one of his more known pieces is “Self Passage” which he created in 1989: a waterside sculpture that leads to the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art. Western Washington University also displays one of Trakas’ beautiful sculptures: Bayview Station. In this sculpture, he really focuses on the pleasure for the people and something different that they can enjoy. This piece was built outside the music building which inspired him to make the dock look in some ways like a keyboard, it also provides access to an originally inaccessible area. His main intent was being able to enjoy the view that the Bayview Station that this art offers and also for this to be a place where someone can get away from their daily stressors and worries. During this period of time, society started realizing the importance of our actions and how they would later affect the environment for future generations.

Washington State during 1980s: In the state of Washington during this time period, there were a lot of key events that too place—such as the eruption of Mount St. Helen’s, the “green river” killings, an oil spill, and a five-day power outage in the city of Seattle. The 1980’s wasn’t the best time for the state of Washington which helped to influence George Trakas to create the Bayview Station. As he mentioned that part of his reasoning of making this sculpture the way it is was because he wanted to make a safe-zone place where people could forget about their worries and simply communicate with one another.

United States during 1980s: For many people around the United States, the late 1970’s were a tough and troubling time. The movements that took place during the 60’s and 70’s, the Watergate scandal, economic crisis, and the Vietnam War had all undermined Americans on their trust in the government and even one another. As Ronald Reagan entered office in 1980 many Americans embraced a new conservatism ideology in daily life whether that was socially, politically or even economically. As the nation entered the 1980’s the popular culture of this era reflected greatly off of the political conservatism. This era came to be known as the “yuppie” era—a time in which baby boomers with a college education emerged, with a well-paying job and expensive tastes. This time shows that the people of this time were more concerned about making money than their parents and grandparents had been in the past. Another important aspect of this time period dealt with the age of blockbuster as the movie industry boomed with films such as ET and The Breakfast Club. As the decade wore on, MTV among other platforms such as music (Metallica and ns n’ Roses) became popular as it reflected on the sense of malaise that was felt among young people during this era.

Whatcom County during 1980s: Whatcom county was one of the most sought out regions of the country in the 1980s because of the large amount of recreational activities both on land and in water. The area was also well known for the colleges in the area, city parks, and community cultural events. The Ski to Sea replaced Whatcom county’s Blossomtime Festival in 1970 after the decline during the Vietnam War. Every Memorial Weekend, 3,200 racers and thousands of viewers come to Whatcom county for this event in which people race from the top of Mount Baker to Fairhaven on the bay.

CREDITS:

Photos by Jordan Coady

Research by Jordan Coady, Chloe Flueret, and Keeley Nordberg

Website done by Chloe Flueret and Keeley Nordberg

Bibliography:
1. Lottie Roeder Roth, The History of Whatcom County Vol. I (Chicago: Pioneer Historical Publishing Company, 1926.
2. History.com Staff. “The 1980s.” History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2011. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
3. “HistoryLink.org.” Whatcom County — Thumbnail History – HistoryLink.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.
4. Nasgaard, Roald. “George Trakas.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web.