Common Ground
Artist
Joe Wheeler
MediumSandstone, granite
DimensionsGranite cube: 15 x 15 x 15 in. (38.1 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm)
Stair curbing: 4 ft., 6 x 8 in. (121.9 x 15.2 x 20.3 cm)
Granite upright boulders: 5 ft. (152.4 cm)
ClassificationsSculpture
Credit LineSeattle Arts Commission, Southeast Seattle Arts Council, Southeast Effective Development, Inc., residents of Beacon Hill
Artist Statement: My approach is to speak to and from a place beyond individuality about the harmonious common ground all beings share.
The materials visible in this composition are entirely stone set on a buried reinforced concrete foundation. My concern isn't ultimately to sculpt an object or monument to behold for its' own sake, but to consciously unite quarried and carved Wilkeson sandstone, a granite cube, and selected specific unaltered granite boulders into a composition that invites all viewers to participate and connect in mind and body in an uplifting experience. Stone has a cleanness and respectability that, by the truth of what it is, lends you a feeling of spirituality.
Stone steps and curbing and natural boulders set the stage for becoming and entering upon a special experience. A polished granite cube is centrally positioned. The two tall vertical uprights are like the split tower of a religious building or a great rock spire, cracked as they sometimes are by natural forces. It is open and inviting, revealing its' secret and the secret is only to open and listen to your natural self. In this way, art functions as the catalyst.
Location: Benefit Park, 9320 38th Ave South, Seattle WA 98119 (artwork is near 38th Ave. S.)
