For Willene

Title: For Willene

Artist: Russell Jaqua

Date: 2019

Location: Sims Way and Jefferson Street

Russell Jaqua drew inspiration from the same source as the spiral motif he designed for the city hall annex railings, which later became the basis for the city of Port Townsend's logo. 

"There was this detail of ornamentation on the city hall building, a swirl that had no reason to be there, except to be beautiful," said Jaqua's widow, Willene Jaqua McRae. "He wanted a subtle echo of the old within the new. He imagined how satisfying it would be for a person to discover that repetition a hundred years from now, because it would tell them, 'The people of Port Townsend are still here, and we still care about beauty."' 

Because the spiral motif also appears in the sign welcoming people to Port Townsend, as well as in the city hall annex railings and the ornamentation on the original city hall, McRae likened it to a "secret handshake, all the way into town."