2025 Percival Plinth People’s Choice Award winner: 'Crane Study No. 47'

The Olympia City Council endorsed, “Crane Study No. 47” by Travis Pond, of Oregon City, as the 2025 Percival Plinth Project People’s Choice Award winner.  

 According to Stephanie Johnson, of Parks, Arts and Recreation, the city received 519 ballots during the voting process in July.  The city council backed the selection at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

On Aug. 14, Johnson presented the voting results to the Arts Commission, which unanimously recommended forwarding the selection to the city council.  

Pond’s sculpture, crafted from repurposed steel, clinched first place with 142 votes. The runner-up artwork, “Salmon Returning” by Mark Brody, got 133 votes. 

“We received positive feedback about the 2025 exhibition, and this year’s voting was very competitive,” Johnson added.  

The winning sculpture will be displayed at City Hall for a year before being reinstalled at another location in Olympia. 

The annual process allows community members to directly participate in selecting public art, continuing the Percival Plinth Project’s tradition of engaging residents in the city’s artistic landscape. 

For this year, the Percival Plinth Arts Project featured 18 sculptures created by local and regional artists.  

Mayor Dante Payne expressed his appreciation for the winning piece, particularly highlighting its use of repurposed steel, which aligns with sustainable art practices.