History of the Artist

George Trakas, an engaging outdoor sculptor, is best known for his permanent public artworks, which conform to the environment in which they are installed. Trakas was born in Quebec, Canada in 1944, graduated from Sir George Williams University in Montreal and continued to earn a bachelor’s degree in art history at New York University in 1969. Trakas then taught sculpture for 13 years at Yale University. Yet his experience in teaching does not imply he had been idle with making new art, or no less active in the sculpting world. He has installed artwork in six different countries, making his environmental sculptures a constellation spanning globe.  His work explores the relationship between nature and human presence.  One of his sculptures, Bay View Station, is installed in Western Washington University’s campus adjacent to the performing arts center. It is composed of wood and steel and there are 4 sections staggered in the area. The sculpture, inspired by its musical neighbor, is reminiscent of a keyboard and allows those that travel across it to experience an otherwise inaccessible area. Those traveling across it, whether they be students of Western Washington University or visitors to campus, may idle by and enjoy the open vista of the Bellingham Bay. Trakas noted that his intention when installing Bay View Station with this serene vista was to create a safe-zone for people to communicate and forget about their worries. This intention derives from the problems plaguing the region, state, and even country at the time of its making.

When Bay View Station was being installed, there were tremendous events happening as big as worldwide and as little as county wide.  The United states, entering the 1980’s, was recovering from a troubling era of war and scandal. The Vietnam War, persisting from November 1st through April 30th 1975, causing the casualties of 58,220 U.S. service members. During this bloody violence, the “Watergate” scandal rattled the already shaken country. The scandal entailed the constitutional crisis sparked by President Nixon’s abuse of power. The president’s administration was found to have been wire-tapping political opponents and those that they deemed “suspicious” using services such as the FBI and the CIA. These events, to name a few, caused the American people to be conservative and otherwise distrustful of their own government and surroundings.Washington State was enduring its own set of disturbing circumstances. In the 1980’s Mount St. Helens erupted and was world-renowned as the “boom heard ‘round the world.” The environmental devastation that followed the volcanic eruption was not the only event to afflict Washington State. Along with the mountain erupting, there was a serial killer in the Washington area as well.  The “Green River” killer, Gary Leon Ridgeway, strangled and killed 49 confirmed women between Tacoma and Seattle, Washington, and he has been suspected of killing upward of 90. Women were afraid to walk alone, leading to mounting tensions.Investigating further, Whatcom County was recuperating from the Vietnam War with a marked decline in waterfront businesses, yet it’s agriculture remained strong and Western Washington University, previously known as New Whatcom State Normal School in 1937, gained its namesake in 1977. Whatcom Community College also began to develop and grow, finding a larger and more appropriate campus north of Bellingham. Whatcom county was bouncing back from arduous times and was seen as a promising lead to a more peaceful future.

With the public at large under duress, and Whatcom County an eye in the storm, George Trakas chose to install Bay View Station at the blossoming Western Washington University. He wanted to create something peaceful and safe on the campus of a Washington State University, a sanctuary of sorts for the youths that would govern the future. The artist intended to foster a sense of peace and calm when installing Bay View Station, which even today meets that simple and innocent standard.

Artist Statement

When beginning to research this art piece and why it was added to the sculptures that are within the Western Washington University campus, it was interesting to see what the artist wanted to portray through the sculpture.  He wanted this place to be a safe place, to escape the world and everything in it.  To be a peaceful place to retreat to when life becomes overwhelming.  When looking at this sculpture, we thought it looked like docks from a pier, giving this piece of art a beach kind of feel.  We feel as though the artist was trying to create a safe haven when all the major events were going on county, state and nation wide.  This thought about the sculpture being a safe haven and a place to escape all the pressures of the world still holds true today.  Some of us will walk there and take in what is provided by this view.  It gives the students here at Western a place to come away from the everyday stress of being a college student and gives them a place to relax and enjoy where they are.

Shayla Brown, Anthie Poon, Hannah Taylor