Parks of the Seven Oars
Artists: Tom Anderson, Karen Lohmann, Mark Osborne & Joe Tougas in collaboration with Robert W. Droll, Landscape Architect
Artist Concept: Five Olympia artists made up the team for the original "Park of the Seven Oars" which was constructed by the artists in 1993 on the corner of West Bay Drive and Harrison Avenue. "Park of the Seven Oars" is a public art project that combines both natural and human-made objects. Every element - from stones and pavers to plants and the rowing oars - were conceived of by the artist team. As the 4th Avenue Bridge and Corridor design moved forward, it became evident that one of the roundabouts would need to be constructed on the Seven Oars site. Rather that dismantle the site forever, the City decided to mitigate the loss of the art by constructing a new "Park of the Seven Oars" across the street. In 1999, four of the five original artists came back on board to re-design the site using the same elements and themes of the original work of art.
Inspiration for this work comes from 1890's photograph of seven women in a row, oars at attention, on the shell-scattered shores of what is now Priest Point Park. Rowing across Budd Bay was a common form of recreation as well as transportation, saving miles of travel along the waterfront. The steel oars you see on the site, remain a metaphor for the maritime experience of the area, from northwest Native Americans who traveled these water routes in cedar canoes, to the ships and boats that can still be seen from the site.