To the editor:

Twenty-some years ago South Whidbey came together — artists, civic groups and individuals — to create the piece of public art that graces the hillside as we exit the ferry.

Soon, the arguably most photographed piece of public art on South Whidbey will be replaced by a government sign telling us we live on a “Scenic Isle Way” with a wart that says “Welcome to Clinton” tacked to the bottom.

The original sign is being moved to the intersection of Highway 525 and Campbell Road, where it won’t be photographed by the tourists any more as they will be speeding by, not waiting at the ferry terminal. It will be subjected to weathering by the prevailing winds, and a target for graffiti by the bus-stop mafia.

Is this a case of art snobbery? Is chainsaw art looked down upon by some local art elitists? After talking to one of the artists involved in the original work, I learned that the Port of South Whidbey commissioners publicly stated they didn’t think much of chainsaw art.

Who is responsible for this boondoggle? Who approved this re-branding of South Whidbey?

The long and the short is that the scenic by-way idea is national, with a Washington state bureaucratic department pushing such projects, counties taking money and local “committees” made up to approve it for you.

No one I have talked to about this is in favor of the removal, except one government official; an art snob?

Bradley Robertson

Clinton