Seattle , Washington, U.S. 47°37′24″N 122°20′45″W  /  47.62333°N 122.34583°W  / 47.62333; -122.34583 Impatient Optimist is a sculpture by Janet Echelman , installed in Seattle , Washington. [ 1 ] Description and history Installed in 2015, Impatient Optimist was commissioned by the Gates Foundation for their global campus in downtown Seattle that opened in 2011. [ 2 ] The aerial net sculpture is 120 feet long, 80 feet wide, and 40 feet deep. [ 3 ] The piece is designed to represent the importance of individuals and connect all of the regional campuses of the foundation across the globe. The structure of the piece is inspired by what Echelman and her team were able to visually represent as "the shape of a day". By taking pictures of the Seattle sky every five minutes for a full 24 hour period, the Studio analyzed the color data of the picture sequence and graphed it radially. [ 4 ] This is their shape of a Seattle day. Utilizing pre-programmed lighting sequences, at night, the sculpture echoes the sunrise in each of the foundation's global offices in real time. [ 5 ] The work was recognized at the ACEC 2016 Engineering Excellence Awards. [ 6 ] Impatient Optimist is featured in artist Janet Echelman ’s 2025 book Radical Softness: The Responsive Art of Janet Echelman , which highlights the sculpture as part of her public art practice. ↑ "Art In Focus: "Impatient Optimist" by Janet Echelman" . Vanguard Seattle . March 1, 2015. Archived from the original on March 4, 2021 . Retrieved June 20, 2023 . ↑ "Impatient Optimist Sculpture Unveiled" . Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation . Archived from the original on June 2, 2017 . Retrieved July 17, 2017 . ↑ "New Art Installation at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation" . Seattle Magazine . July 8, 2022. Archived from the original on October 24, 2022 . Retrieved June 20, 2023 . ↑ "Impatient Optimist, Seattle, WA, 2015 - Janet Echelman" . Janet Echelman . Archived from the original on July 16, 2017 . Retrieved July 17, 2017 . ↑ "The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Unveils Janet Echelman's Latest Work: "Impatient Optimist" in Seattle" . ArchDaily . February 12, 2015. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017 . Retrieved July 17, 2017 . ↑ "2016 ACEC Awards" . Seattle Daily Journal of Commerce . Archived from the original on November 29, 2021 . Retrieved June 20, 2023 . Adjacent, Against, Upon AIDS Memorial Pathway American Doughboy Bringing Home Victory Angie's Umbrella Birthplace of Seattle Monument Black Lightning Black Lives Matter street mural Capitol Hill City Hall Centennial Fountain Dancer with Flat Hat Dancer's Series: Steps Fallen Firefighters Memorial Fountain of Creation Fountain of Reflection Fountain of the Northwest Fountain of Wisdom Historic Chinatown Gate Impatient Optimist International Fountain Joshua Green Fountain Naramore Fountain Nine Spaces Nine Trees The People's Wall Pioneer Square totem pole Prefontaine Fountain Rainbow crossings The Red Popsicle Sasquatch Pushing Over a House Seattle Center Totem Seattle Fishermen's Memorial Seattle George Monument Seattle Monolith The Seattle Mural Statue of Liberty Thomas Burke Monument Three Piece Sculpture: Vertebrae United Confederate Veterans Memorial † Untitled Kelly Shapiro Untitled Totem Pole Waiting for the Interurban The Wall of Death Waterfront Fountain Eye Benches I, II and III

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