Artwork copyright Steven Scheibe. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Steven Scheibe. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Steven Scheibe. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Illuminated Passage, 2013

Steven Scheibe
(American, born 1967)

Location: Liberty Middle School, Spanaway

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Illuminated Passage by Steven Scheibe uses silk banners to create a cascading waterfall that complements the architectural idea of the entrance area as a slot canyon. Projected lighting casts a rippling light around the space during the beginning and end of each day. Scheibe notes that "Students passing through Liberty Middle School—and adolescence—are like gathered river waters navigating into, through, and out of a canyon to a completely new environment...Twice daily, like sunrise and sunset, rippling water-effect light floods the room to celebrate the students’ arrival and departure—heralding their progress and passage."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Bethel School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Steven Scheibe creates artworks in a variety of media, including painting, printmaking and etched glass as well as textile, music, and light installations. Natural patterns, materials, and imagery inspire his work. He states, "All that is visible is evidence of the invisible. The order of the physical world is brimming with stories of invisible things. My intent is to visually amplify the voice of allegory revealed through natural form."

Scheibe grew up on a lake south of Olympia, Western Washington, left to study and travel, and now lives there again. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree (1989) in graphic design from Washington State University in Pullman, Eastern Washington. In 1990-91, he traveled to Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa to work in graphic design publishing books and music in French. In the summer of 1997, he studied art and theology at Regent College in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.