Plan a Downtown Olympia Salmon Art Adventure!

Join the Olympia Art Adventure Club!

Each year, adult salmon make their journey back to the stream in which they hatched or imprinted to spawn. Some species travel a short distance, while others swim thousands of miles to complete their life cycle. In August and September, the 5th Avenue Dam Bridge is a great place to watch salmon make their way up the Deschutes River to the place they hatched in order to begin the cycle anew. Take an adventure around downtown to see salmon art and murals with a map of locations. 

Join the Olympia Art Adventure Club! Pick up a map at City Hall (M-F, 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.), The Olympia Center (M-F, 8:00 a.m. -6:00 p.m.), or at whyigodowntown Find the salmon at 7 locations downtown, decorate your map and turn it in at City Hall or The Olympia Center for a collectible pin drawn by local artist Chelsea Baker. 

Turn in your colorful salmon drawing to City Hall or The Olympia Center in exchange for a collectible pin drawn by local artists Chelsea Baker.

Murals: 

A) Fish, Barley, Mountains by Dennis Lyons Paint (2006)

Fish swimming in a wheat field is an unlikely image that takes up an entire side of the building at the Fish Brewing Company, painted by Dennis Lyons.

B) Salmon by Procession of the Theater (2011)

This large salmon is located at the Capitol Theater. Painted by the Procession of the Species, the mural shares an important part of the water element, one of the four elements celebrated at the event. Read more about it.

C) The Salmon and Heron by Atlmed Davis Mosaic (2014)

This artwork by Altmed Davis shows a salmon jumping over a blue heron. Located in the parking lot on the western side of The Great Cuisine of India, this image is made of ceramic pieces fitted together into a mosaic.

D) Olympia Salmon Run by Various Artists Fiberglass forms, mixed media (2002).

• Artists: Stephanie Lee Fraher with No Limits - Olympia members Carolyn Cox, Ashley Shomo and Pat Starzyk

The Olympia Salmon Run Project was an opportunity for local artists to explore creating public art, and also bring visibility to the impact of salmon in our community. Check out the ten salmon in The Olympia Center, each with a different story to tell. Materials: Pennies, copper sheeting and acrylic paint.

E) Great Blue Heron Mural by Joe Seymour Jr. Image on vinyl wrap (2020)

These salmon are part of a theme also designed by Joe Seymour, to cover a group of utility boxes located along Olympia's main downtown thoroughfare. The images are designed on a computer and transferred to vinyl.

F) Salmon in the Sky by Joe Seymor Jr. Steel (2020)

The four salmon on the Views at Fifth building by Local Indigenous artist Joe Seymour are shown making their seasonal journey upstream. The three at the top are moving up the river, while the one at the bottom is circling and waiting its turn. At night, the salmon glow with light. Read more at Thurston Talk. (https://www.thurstontalk.com/2021/01/05/indigenous-artist-joe-seymour-honors-pacific-northwest-cultures-and-ecosystems-with-salmon-at-views-on-fifth/).

G) See Actual Salmon Returning Every fall at the viewing point on the 5th Avenue Dam!

Schools of Chinook, Coho, and Steelhead salmon return to their breeding grounds up the Deschutes River, traveling from the saltwater where they spent most of their adult life to the freshwater where they were born. This flurry of activity attracts other wildlife including seals, herons, bald eagles, otters, and more!

Learn more HERE.