Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Ruth Brockmann. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Roots and Wings, 2006

Ruth Brockmann
(American, born 1955, died 2013)

Location: Ridgeline Middle School, Yelm

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Ruth Brockman's Roots and Wings shows nature as a web of connections. It is a relief-style mural of imagery rooted in the small community of Yelm, Western Washington. The artwork presents the past, present, and future of Yelm. The past is represented by the elk and other animals, as well as the people who traveled on the area’s historic trails. The present is the mature salmon swimming home to their spawning grounds in Yelm. The future is the colorful salmon smolt migrating towards the ocean and the children standing on a rainbow bridge, reaching for the stars. Brockmann also included a cast glass Earth within a heart as a blessing for the future of the planet. The entire artwork is full of symbolism for the transitions and journeys of life, as well as the beauty of the natural world around Yelm.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Yelm School District.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Ruth Brockmann (1955-2013) was a leader in the Northwest kiln-formed glass movement. She created fused-glass sculptures that celebrated and explored our spiritual connection to the natural world.

Ruth Brockman was one of the initial artists in the 1980s to work and experiment with Bullseye Glass Company's colored glass for fusing. She has taught glass fusing at the Pilchuck Glass School in Stanwood, Northwestern Washington, as well as around the United States and Canada. Her experimental, do-it-yourself art practice is heavily influenced by her experiences farming in Alaska and Washington, working on commercial fishing boats, traveling in Mexico, and Mother Nature.