Looking up at the lampposts on the Ave., something catches the attention of passersby.

Far from the ordinary light bulb or dirty pair of shoes, it's a sculpture, one that captures the spirit of the Ave., as well as the business it is permanently suspended in front of.

These sculptures, full of intricate detail and vibrant color, were completed not by professional artists but by UW students. The project was completed in ART 332, a class in which students are commissioned by different businesses to design and build public art. It runs every spring and has been in session for eight years.

UW professor John Young, who has been teaching the class since its inception, is very fond of the public art program.

"It's the only program in the country where students have an opportunity to display public artwork that they designed for the entire community to see," he said. "It's also nice that they are able to make a profit from it as well."

A sculpture artist himself, Young is extremely committed to creating art that is "a voice for the community." He has more than 30 community art projects all over the state.

This class has also brought another aspect of art to Young's life: teaching.

"I really love this class. Although it is extremely hard to teach, the benefits of seeing the students develop and display their work is very gratifying," he said.

Outside of Seattle, the class has created and displayed projects encompassing different areas of Western Washington. In 2003, students created sculptures to be featured at the Willapa Bay National Wildlife Refuge, as well as at Fircrest School in Shoreline.

Kipp Williams, a senior majoring in sculpture, was a participant in the latest of the class' projects: the art that is featured on the Ave's light posts. Williams initially signed up for the class because of his interest in sculpture.

"I was really interested in the idea of making a public art sculpture for a company," he said.

Having already had experience building sculptures, Williams decided to tackle two projects rather than the customary one. The process was one of great vigor and was extremely time consuming, Williams said.

"We would all meet at the normal class time. We would then decide which business or businesses we wanted to talk to, and then we'd meet with them and speak about a budget, as well as what they as a business brought to the Ave.," he said.

Three sketches were then composed and narrowed down to two; those two were then made into models. A final choice was made, and fabrication began. Williams said an entire month was spent on just the fabrication of the sculpture.

"Because I created two sculptures, the work load was extremely demanding. I spent countless nights in the shop working on my art," he said.

Along with making sure the sculpture properly represented the essence of the Ave., and the sponsoring business, certain rules, like a weight limit, were also taken into account. The sculpture had to be structurally sound and needed to be small enough that busses or pedestrians would not run into it.

With the commission and budget he imposed, Williams ended up making approximately $400 from both of his projects. But the money is not the only thing that Williams gained from the class.

"Looking back, I would definitely take the class again. The sense of accomplishment I received from the class is something that I never trade for anything," he said.

It wasn't always fun and games, though. Being on a 12-week deadline to complete the sculptures was sometimes very difficult, according to Williams. That was where the help from Young was crucial and very beneficial.

"John was a really good professor. He challenged us to do the best and was extremely good at motivating us and keeping us on schedule," Williams said. "Because he is himself an artist, he knows how to make art provocative, as well as how to become successful in this industry."

With art on display so close to home, it's no wonder the class has been running strong for eight years, and who knows what's in store for next spring.

Reach reporter Stephanie Small at

features@thedaily.washington.edu.