Artist Statement

Gerard Tsutakawa’s sculpture designs reflect a confluence of the cultures and traditions of the Pacific Rim.

Being raised in a Japanese heritage along with the esthetics of other cultures around the Pacific Ocean has inspired his design sensibility. Growing up in the beautiful Pacific Northwest’s natural environment has helped develop a rich humanistic style to his creative process.

He gathers and uses visual images as bold as a Tongan war club or as sensitive as folded origami paper and integrates them into subliminal art forms.

His first public art sculpture commission was created for the International Children’s Park in 1979. This sculpture initiated a theme that art can be approachable and interactive; a theme which continued for many of his future large outdoor sculpture designs.

The iconic “MITT” sculpture for the Seattle Mariners Stadium, created in 1999, blended both whimsy and baseball history. The public is invited to be a part of the artwork. It is designed to be an approachable and accessible creation for the public to enjoy.

Working primarily in bronze with the technique of welded fabrication, Gerard Tsutakawa produces artworks of stunning inventiveness.

His artwork is an expression of shapes, themes and threads; renderings of form and space; giving the viewer a glimpse into the many ideas that visually spark the artist.