Leafy Wader Public Art
Sound Transit Federal Way
Link Extension

As part of the Sound Transit Federal Way Link Extension project, artist Donald Lipski created a two-story-tall illuminated glass desk lamp for the new Downtown Federal Way Station in Washington State. The station serves Federal Way, a city of approximately 100,000 residents located between Seattle and Tacoma.

The artwork, titled LEAFY WADER — an anagram of “Federal Way” — serves as a playful and welcoming beacon for commuters and visitors. The public art installation also honors the Pacific Northwest’s legacy as the historic center of the contemporary American glass art movement. The project reflects the influence of Dale Chihuly and the broader glass art community that emerged throughout the Puget Sound region.

Lipski has longstanding ties to the Seattle-Tacoma glass community. In 1987, he collaborated with local artists on an exhibition at the Center on Contemporary Art. He later served as artist in residence at Pilchuck Glass School in 1990 and the Museum of Glass in 2014. Although Lipski has worked with glass for decades, LEAFY WADER represents his first substantially glass outdoor public work.

GGI furnished the 8 custom decorative laminated glass panels for the illuminated lantern feature. The company utilized Alice® direct-to-glass printing on surfaces #1 and #3 to create the appearance and visual depth of historic Tiffany-style stained glass within a modern laminated architectural glazing system.

The LEAFY WADER public art installation demonstrates how decorative laminated glass can support large-scale public art while delivering long-term exterior performance.