Images(2)

Urban Peace Circle Sculpture

Artist Gerard Tsutakawa

MediumWelded silcon bronze

Dimensions120 x 60 x 60 in. (304.8 x 152.4 x 152.4 cm)

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineGift to the City of Seattle from the "Stop the Violence" Committee

Background: “The Urban Peace Circle” is the culmination of a gun buy-back program by an organization called Stop The Violence, formed after six young people were shot and killed in the Puget Sound region one March weekend in 1992. The funds raised from the gun buy-back program were donated as a commission to Tsutakawa to create a memorial for peace. Several of the reclaimed guns were symbolically entombed in the concrete base of the sculpture.

Description: The sculpture is an abstract bronze piece with a black patina finish, 10 feet, 8 inches high, with toothed sides, a curved top, and a circular aperture though the center. The jagged sides symbolize chaos and violence while the hole in the center symbolizes a look towards a better future, understanding and piece.

Artist Statement: Many of my abstract designs come from inspirations in nature such as mountains, landscapes, and creatures. My interpretations are not literal or representational. I see the patterns and rhythms of the visual world and enjoy letting the viewer create their own interpretations of how they see my works. The themes I enjoy also involve a celestial phenomena, human spirit, subtle humor. The nature if this art, it’s visual statement and presence are my concerns in creating a singular artwork. I am concerned that a noteworthy sculpture should be durable on structure as well as design to evoke an ageless quality that endures beyond today into the next millennium.

Watch: Seattle Channel Profile of Artist Gerard Tsutakawa (2007)

Location: I-90 (bike/pedestrian) Trail and Martin Luther King Jr. Way South, Seattle WA 98144