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More Smithsonian Searches     Who else has...     Tompkins, Merrily,     Portrait male -- Nelson, John M.     Occupation -- Other     Allegory -- Element     Allegory -- Arts & Sciences     Literature -- Goethe     Literature -- Kathie     Outdoor Sculpture -- Washington -- Seattle     Relief     Sculpture

Birdbath, (sculpture). Artist:  Tompkins, Merrily, 1947- , sculptor. Title:  Birdbath, (sculpture). Dates:  1982. Medium:  Birdbath: concrete; Base: concrete, found objects, bronze. Dimensions:  Pedestal: approx. H. 17 in.; Base: approx. W. 76 in. x D. 76 in. Inscription:  (On plaque with bust:) JOHN M./NELSON/1908 1974 (followed by text) (On plaque near pedestal base:) The Glow Retreats, Done/is the Day of Toil.../Goethe (Faust) (Two other plaques near pedestal base have text excerpts from Bruce L. Kathie's 'The Pulse of the Universe'.) unsigned Description:  The remains of what was originally a concrete bird bath resembling a large power insulator. The remaining spiral pedestal of the birdbath stands in the center of a rose-tinted concrete clearing. The clearing is inset with found objects and a bronze plaque with a relief bust of John M. Nelson. Subject:  Portrait male -- Nelson, John M. -- Bust Occupation -- Other -- Civil Servant Allegory -- Element -- Energy Allegory -- Arts & Sciences -- Industry Literature -- Goethe -- Faust Literature -- Kathie Object Type:  Outdoor Sculpture -- Washington -- Seattle Relief Sculpture Owner:  Administered by City of Seattle, Seattle Arts Commission, 312 1st Avenue North, Seattle, Washington 98109 Located Creston/Nelson Electrical Substation, 51st Avenue South & South Bangor Street, Seattle, Washington Remarks:  The birdbath was part of a larger project installation at the Creston/Nelson Substation. Funding for the project was provided by the Seattle City Light One Percent For Art program. The birdbath was removed from the site by the Seattle Arts Commission and destroyed due to excessive vandalism. (The pedestal and relief plaque remain). John M. Nelson was the superintendent of City Light from 1963-1971. References:  Save Outdoor Sculpture, Washington survey, 1994. Seattle Arts Commission's "Fieldguide to Seattle's Public Art", 1991, pg. 184. Rupp, James, "Art in Seattle's Public Places", Seattle: University of Washington Press, 1992, pg. 268. Illustration:  Image on file. Note:  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. Repository:  Inventories of American Painting and Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum, P.O. Box 37012, MRC 970, Washington, D.C. 20013-7012 Control Number:  IAS WA000591   Copy/Holding information Smithsonian AmericanArt Museum Control Number   Inventory of American Sculpture WA000591 Add Copy to MyList Format: HTMLPlain textDelimited Subject:   Email to:

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