Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Artwork copyright Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2017.

Tug, 2004

Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake
Tom Askman (American, born 1941); Lea Anne Lake (American, born 1961, died 2015)

Location: Clover Park Technical College, Lakewood

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Tug by artist team Lea Anne Lake and Tom Askman is made up of three columns that hold up a larger copper ring in their center. The sculpture symbolizes how everything in life is essentially interconnected. The three columns symbolize the earth, the universe, and humankind. The paving stones underneath the central copper ring are inscribed with the John Muir quote: "When one tugs at a single thing in nature he finds that it is attached to the rest of the world." John Muir was an author and environmental philosopher who is also known as the "Father of the National Parks".

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Clover Park Technical College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Tom Askman and Lea Anne Lake were collaborating artists.
Tom Askman is a professor of painting and drawing at Eastern Washington University in Cheney, where he has taught since 1972. He earned Bachelor of Fine Arts and Bachelor of Education degrees from California College of Arts and Crafts in Oakland, California. He earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Colorado in 1968.
Late artist Lea Anne Lake was based in Spokane, Eastern Washington. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Gonzaga University in 2008 and a master's degree from Eastern Washington University in Cheney in 2013.