By Lorilyn Lirio

The public has spoken, and the people have chosen a winner. The Olympia Arts Commission voted to recommend Karen Sixkiller's Ember 2 as the 2024 People's Choice Award winner.

The recommendation will be forwarded to the Olympia City Council on Sept. 10 for consideration and approval.

At the Arts Commission meeting on Thursday, Aug. 8, Stephanie Johnson, the city's Arts Program manager, presented the recommendation as determined by public vote for the 2024 Percival Plinth Project, which featured 17 sculpture entries from regional artists.

The Percival Plinth Project is an annual loan exhibition of up to 18 sculptures on Percival Landing, where pieces are borrowed from artists. Each sculptor receives a $1,000 honorarium, and the People's Choice Award winner receives $10,000 for the sculpture, which the city purchases.

The People's Choice Award winner emerges via public voting, which ran from July 1 through 30 through Engage Olympia.

Johnson said there were 661 votes cast this year, which was a significant increase from the previous year's 212.

The vote was very close, with only a 0.5% spread between the top two sculptures. The winner – Sixkiller's Ember 2 - received 16.5% of the votes, while the runner-up – Jennifer Strassel's The Dungie - received 16.0% of the votes.

Sixkiller's winning artwork, Ember 2, depicts a bronze spider emerging from a steel web. The central figure carries a red crystal sphere, symbolizing the legendary fire she brought to the mainland in Cherokee traditional stories.

Johnson shared some comments praising the thought-provoking spider art representing the First Peoples.

Johnson mentioned that some people came all the way from Zurich, Switzerland to visit the U.S. specifically for the Percival Plinth Project and to participate in the voting process. "They came to Olympia to add to the travels and to see the work and participate in the program. It's an opportunity for Olympia to be engaged in a wider community," she remarked.