Hollywood sign for the Eastside

44 is a number that carries deep meaning for the Eastside of Tacoma and especially for Salishan. At the heart of this community runs 44th Street, a road that is more than pavement and traffic. It is a lifeline. It is home to the Tacoma Housing Authority Office, the Community Health Care Clinic, Lister Elementary, and the Family Investment Center. To speak of 44th is to speak of survival, resilience, and progress.

“For 4 Four” was created to acknowledge the weight and importance of this street and everything it symbolizes. It is both a dedication and a declaration. By naming the piece after 44, I wanted to give the Eastside community a symbol of pride, something that reflects the strength of our neighborhood while elevating its voice in the landscape of public art.

The making of the piece was just as intentional as the concept. I cut the wood myself, shaping it into the foundation of the work, then covered the surface in paisley print fabric. Paisley holds its own cultural weight, a design carried through centuries, continents, and communities. By wrapping the structure in this pattern, I wanted to add another layer of identity, rhythm, and timelessness to the work. It became both sculptural and textile, both solid and symbolic.

The location is just as meaningful. The work pays homage to the legendary Eastside Neighborhood Center (ENC). For many, ENC was more than a building. It was a sanctuary where love, education, mentorship, and culture came alive. It was a place where young people found guidance, where families found connection, and where the Eastside defined itself on its own terms. To create this piece in proximity to ENC is to honor memory and to keep its spirit alive for a new generation.

The number 44 resonates far beyond Tacoma. It recalls the historic presidency of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. It also carries weight in street culture and gang identity, symbolizing struggle, danger, and survival. This work embraces all of those meanings, the hope, the hardship, and everything in between.

“For 4 Four” is a mirror and a monument. It is for those who walk 44th Street every day, for those who grew up in Salishan, for those who know the Eastside not by reputation but by lived connection.

44 is more than a number. It is a code, a compass, and a legacy.