FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2014

MEDIA CONTACTS
Gwen Schuler, Media and Communications, gschuler@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-5160
Maria Lee, Media and Communications, maria.lee@cityoftacoma.org, (253) 591-2054

Rededication of ‘Sun King’ Public Artwork on June 25

The public is invited to celebrate the reinstallation of “Sun King” by Thomas Morandi, one of Tacoma’s most prominent pieces of public art, on June 25, from noon – 1 p.m, at the park on the intersection of South 15th and Dock streets along the Thea Foss Waterway. Morandi will be present at this event, along with Council Member David Boe and members of the Tacoma Arts Commission. 

“We are pleased to bring this stunning work of art back into the public realm where it will be enjoyed for years to come,” said Tacoma Arts Administrator Amy McBride. “This site is pivotal in connecting downtown to the waterfront and this monumental sculpture provides great visual interest.”

The sculpture is one of the first major pieces of art to be sited along the Prairie Line Trail, a new walking, biking and interpretive trail that follows the historic rail corridor linking the University of Washington Tacoma campus, the Brewery District, the Museum District and Thea Foss Waterway. The trail eventually connects with the Water Ditch Trail in South Tacoma.

“Sun King” was commissioned in 1977 for $30,000 in Urban Renewal Grant funding from the federal Department of Public Works. The monumental-scale, contemporary, bronze plate sculpture measures over 13 feet tall, 17.5 feet wide and 10 feet deep. Morandi was selected by a panel interested in providing a focus for the pedestrian space at South 13th Street and Broadway Plaza, where the piece was sited until 2007 before it was moved into storage. 

Morandi currently resides in Corvallis, Ore. and is a metal sculptor and former professor of art at Oregon State University.