SPOKANE, Wash. — As the North-South Corridor gets closer to finishing, the Washington State Department of Transportation is turning to the East Central neighborhood to get their thoughts on the artwork the structure will feature.
Members of the East Central community came together on Saturday to decide on some of their favorite works.
"This event is to get community input on architectural treatments," Terrance Lynch, the North-South Corridor project engineer said.
Lynch invited community members to get their first look at the potential designs, that could go on future sections of the North-South Corridor. The designs were displayed in Spokane's MLK Center whiteboards to showcase the art.
"We want the project to be something that the community can be proud of, that they can say they had an active role in," Lynch said.
While the completion of the North-South Corridor could still be a decade away, community members are excited.
"The designs and stuff that are happening are just awesome," Doug Salter, an East Central neighborhood resident said. "This is going to be cool. I mean, driving up the freeway and seeing each neighborhood represented,"
Salter said it was important to him to be involved in the process.
Some of the designs proposed for the East Central neighborhood represent the people who live in the community.
"Community and diversity, so one thing I feel symbolizes that is the use of hands because they're universal," artist Reinaldo Gil Zambrano said.
Zambrano is originally from Venezuela. He is a local artist who specializes in murals and painting. WSDOT tasked Zambrano to come up with the designs. While he's not from the community itself, Zambrano said he's done his part to learn more about it.
"I have been able to get to know people around through different projects that I do with the community, and also through these amazing activities," Zambrano said.
These workshops also help Zambrano learn which designs the community approves. He wants them to be involved just as much as he is.
Lynch hopes to finalize the designs sometime this year.
The Washington State Department of Transportation plans on holding more meetings in the future. They want the community to be involved in the artistic process of the North-South Corridor.
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