Park of the Seven Oars, (sculpture).

Park of the Seven Oars, (sculpture).

Seven Oars Partners, sculptor.

Lohmann, Karen, sculptor.

Osborne, Mark, sculptor.

Ogier, Sarah, sculptor.

Tougas, Joe, 1948- , sculptor.

Anderson, Thomas L., sculptor.

Artistry in Iron, founder.

Winsor Porcelain, contractor.

Park of the Seven Oars, (sculpture).

Sept. - Nov. 1993. Dedicated Nov. 1993.

Digital Reference:

Sculpture: steel; Base: concrete, granite and basalt.

Sculpture: approx. H. 14 ft. x W. 9 ft. 6 in. x Diam. 3 ft.; Base: approx. W. 12 in. x D. 12 in.

(On stone pavers, inscribed:) THANK YOU TO/ARTISTRY/IN IRON/H.D.FOWLER/COUNTRY/GREEN SOD (On porcelain plaque near oars:) The City of Olympia/Art in Public Places Program (below this is a reproduced photograph) PRIEST POINT PARK CIRCA LATE 1800's PHOTO COURTESY OF THE BIGELOW FAMILY/PARK OF THE SEVEN OARS/Water has long played a vital role in the life of South Puget Sound./N.W. Native Americans, traveling in cedar canoes, used water routes as/their highways. Pioneers settled first along South Sound's rivers and/bays. This work, inspired by an 1890s photograph of young women at Priest Point park, honors the connection between water and our way of life. The seven oars pay tribute to the maritime history of Budd Inlet,/from Native canoes to the ships and boats that can still be seen/from this site./DEDICATED NOVEMBER 1993/Designed and created by/Thomas L. Anderson/Karen Lohmann/Mark Osborne/Sarah Ogier/Joe Tougas/Special thanks to the City of Olympia Arts Commission, Department of Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services/Plaque made possible in part by the Olympia Heritage Commission unsigned

The centerpiece of the park's design is a sculpture of seven larger-than-life oars make of steel. The oars stand side-by-side in a curved line and are mounted vertically to a height of 12 ft. in a base of concrete. Large boulders of granite and basalt are set in various positions around the park.

Architecture -- Boat -- Detail

Outdoor Sculpture -- Washington -- Olympia

Administered by City of Olympia, Parks & Recreation Department, 222 North Columbia, Olympia, Washington 98501

Located Priest Point Park, 904 Harrison Avenue N.W., Olympia, Washington

The park and sculpture were commissioned by the City of Olympia, Olympia Arts Commission, Art in Public Places from an Invitation/limited competition among Washington state artists. Seven Oars Partners consists of five artists: Thomas L. Anderson, Karen Lohmann, Mark Osborne, Sarah Ogier and Joe Tougas. Artistry in Iron fabricated the oars. Winsor Porcelain made the porcelain plaque. The photograph reproduced on the plaque shows seven women dressed in turn-of-the-century costume, standing next to each other in a line, each holding an upright oar. Cost of the sculpture and park design was $19,200. IAS files contain copies of related City of Olympia Art Collection Inventory records, technical records, and Project Work Plan.

Save Outdoor Sculpture, Washington survey, 1994.

The information provided about this artwork was compiled as part of the Smithsonian American Art Museum's Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture database, designed to provide descriptive and location information on artworks by American artists in public and private collections worldwide.

Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012

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