This sculpture will soon stand in front of Olympia City Hall

A sculpture called “Aqueous” will be the next piece of public art to grace the plaza in front of Olympia City Hall.

The sculpture, created by Tumwater artist Cyrra Robinson, won the 2017 Percival Plinth People’s Choice Award. The Olympia City Council approved the purchase of the piece for $8,500 last week.

“Aqueous” will be moved to City Hall in spring of next year, said Angel Nave, an art program specialist for the city. At that point, the Percival Plinth Project process will begin again.

This is the project’s seventh year.

“(The project has) just made our downtown that much more fun to walk around,” said Mayor Cheryl Selby at Tuesday’s council meeting.

In her artist statement, Robinson wrote that she tries to develop work that evokes a tangible experience. She encouraged viewers to “empower themselves to explore and feel the work with their hands, hearts, and minds.”

Voting took place during the month of July. Of the 499 ballots cast, 51 percent were from Olympia voters. Votes also came from other parts of Washington and the United States. There were 14 votes cast by visitors from Taiwan, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

“Aqueous” received 121 votes. Honorable mentions went to “The Wisdom Seeker” by Leon White, which received 72 votes, and “Midori Spring” by Ann Fleming, which received 70 votes.

Voters for “Aqueous” appreciated the “masterful workmanship” and “mystery and awe of the sea,” according to a city report.

Robinson describes “Aqueous” as “A thriving, copper creature, gracefully traversing its environment, seemingly frozen for a moment in time to allow us a glimpse into its existence.”

But while the city only provides funding to purchase one piece of plinth sculpture per year, this year it’s getting two.

A donated art piece and former Percival Plinth Project entry will soon be installed in LBA Park. Artist Kevin Au submitted his piece, “The Philosopher,” in 2016, and decided to donate it to the city, said Stephanie Johnson, arts and events program manager for the city.

Au, who lives in the Seattle area, has submitted pieces for the Percival Plinth Project in the past four years.

This story was originally published September 16, 2017 at 6:15 PM with the headline "This sculpture will soon stand in front of Olympia City Hall."