City installs new sculpture on the Ave Posted by Jacob Buckenmeyer | Aug 03, 2012 | 897 views

A new sculpture was installed along Commercial Avenue Thursday morning.

“How Much Longer,” a nude female bronze by La Conner artist Peregrine O’Gormley, was installed at the Northeast corner of Commercial and Fourth Street, near the Rockfish Grill.

Anacortes Parks & Recreation Department Director Gary Robinson said the mounting of the sculpture was made possible through an Anacortes Arts Festival grant to the Anacortes Arts Commission.

“The Arts Festival wanted to see if there was a possibility of featuring a local artist as part of the Arts on the Ave,” Robinson said.

Arts Commission member Rita James said the sculpture is a temporary addition to the collection of sculptures along Commercial Avenue. It will be in place for about 18 months.

The location, toward the north end of Commercial, was chosen because it is a more “adult-oriented” area, James said.

The grant from the Arts Festival was for $1,000, with $400 dedicated to the installation of the sculpture, and the rest for stipends for other artists whose work is already on display through the Arts on the Ave program.

James said O’Gormley’s original sculpture was made in wood, then the image was adapted into a bronze.

O’Gormley’s Web site lists the wood sculpture, carved from a Western red cedar drift log, for sale at $22,000. O’Gormley’s description of the piece begins, “Mother Earth bends over backwards to accommodate the ever increasing weight of humanity. In her grasp she holds the scorched earth…”

The description goes on to say the sculpture is a call to humanity to reverse the damage done to the environment over the years.

Robinson said the 12 sculptures up and down Commercial Avenue will be replaced in the next couple months with new artwork. He said it will be the second time the sculptures have been changed since the program was started.