The Unified Playing Field Theory
Artist
Ginny Ruffner
MediumEnamel on steel, masonry, bronze, concrete, ceramic
Dimensions312 x 252 x 75 in. (792.5 x 640.1 x 190.5 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineSeattle Parks and Recreation 1% for Art funds
Description: The artist designed entry portal is a 26 foot high painted steel structure that serves as a landmark and identification sign for the center. Ruffner designed cast bronze inlays for the sidewalk leading to the main entrance; the inlays depict each day of the year, with special holidays highlighted. Also included in this sidewalk treatment is the alphabet, with each letter and its symbol in Braille, Morse code, and hand signs. All of the artwork has been incorporated into a game devised by the artist that children of all ages can play. The sidewalk patterns continue through the entrance and into the lobby, where more bronze symbols, representing the solar system, are set in colored concrete, surrounded by symbols in sets of five: Washington mountains, local animal species, sports played at the center, and the human senses.
Inside the locker rooms Ruffner has created a ceramic mural featuring the handprints of well known local athletes, such as Debbie Armstrong, Chris Gobrecht, Fred Brown, and Jim Zorn. Handprints of neighborhood youngsters are intermingled with those of the athletes.
