Percival Plinth Project Exhibition 2025 sculptures  approved by Olympia City Council

The Olympia City Council approved the sculptures the Arts Commission recommended for the 2025 Percival Plinth Project at a meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 25. 

Each artist in the approved slate will receive $1,000 for a loan of each sculpture, and one work will be selected for a purchase price of up to $10,000. That work will be chosen by the public. 

This year’s jury met on Jan. 16 to review 26 applications, which city staff also reviewed for visual structural assessment. 

“Jurors reviewed the works based on several criteria, including quality of work and attention to craft, safety requirements, and balance and diversity of materials and style among the selected sculptures,” Arts Program Manager Stephanie Johnson said.

On Feb. 13, the Arts Commission reviewed the jury’s insights and unanimously approved forwarding the recommendation to the city council for consideration. 

There are 18 selected artworks for 2025: 

• Salmon Returning by Mark Brody from Portland, Oregon 

• Tame  Dog by Dan Brown from Okanogan, Washington 

• Clarity by Deon Duncan from Junction City, Oregon 

• Swim Series II by Deon Duncan from Junction City, Oregon 

• Out of the Deep End by Jenny Ellsworth from Oregon City, Oregon 

• Silver Flower by Charles Fitzgerald and Jim Null from Puyallup and Grapeview, Washington 

• Enervate by Moe Jerome from Freeland, Washington 

• Iris by Will Jewett from Seattle, Washington 

• River Flow, Legends of the Moon by Shawn Johnson from Seattle, Washington 

• Flex by Jon Kalin from Rochester, Washington 

• Ascending Descent by Jennifer Kapnek from Portland, Oregon 

• Porcupine by Ed McCarthy from Renton, Washington 

• Otter Moon by Pat McVay from Clinton, Washington 

• Through the Void by Kyle Ocean from Shelton, Washington 

• Through the Void II by Kyle Ocean from Shelton, Washington 

• Crane Study #47 by Robert Pond from Oregon City, Oregon 

• Keeping Time by Ken Turner from Seattle, Washington 

• Prehistoric Dragonfly by Leon White from Seattle, Washington 

The artwork will be installed in June, followed by a public vote in July to determine which sculpture is recommended to be purchased by the city and added to its permanent collection.

The winning sculpture will be moved to the front of City Hall for a year, and then placed in a permanent exhibition somewhere within the city.  

The Percival Plinth Project, which began in 2011, hosts a new selection of loaned sculptures by local and regional artists along Percival Landing.

Through this program, 15 sculptures are currently included in the city's public art collection. The current exhibition can be viewed at the waterfront.