Artwork copyright Richard Beyer. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Richard Beyer. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Artwork copyright Richard Beyer. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission.

Children in a Magic Tree, 1996

Richard Beyer
(American, born 1925, died 2012)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Lacey

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Children in a Magic Tree is an aluminum sculpture created by artist Richard Beyer for River Ridge High School. The design features children climbing a tree with colorful flowers. A medicinal plant that blooms in four colors referenced in the book "Black Elk Speaks" inspired the tree. "Black Elk Speaks" tells the story of Black Elk, an Oglala Lakota Medicine Man interviewed by Nebraska Poet Laureate John G. Neihardt in 1930. Beyer notes, "I sought to make the idea of Diversity concrete and sculpturally interesting. I concluded the positive aspect of Diversity is that one person helps another to realize the magic of his or her being."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with North Thurston Public Schools.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Artist Richard Beyer (1925-2012) created sculptures for public spaces. His figurative sculptures reflect community identity as well as local values and lore. Many of his artworks can be found in Washington and Oregon. In his own words, "Public sculpture properly belongs to the people and should be meaningful to them. Sculpture should be in every nook and cranny where people live, to tell them about themselves."

Beyer grew up in Virginia. He was drafted into the U.S. Army (1944-46) during World War II (1939-1945), seeing action at the Battle of the Bulge. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (1952) from Columbia University in New York City and a Master of Arts degree (1955) in Education from the University of Vermont. In 1957, Beyer moved his family to Seattle to work on a PhD in Economics. However he was unfulfilled and his woodcarving hobby led him to dedicate himself to sculpture in 1964. He set up a foundry to cast aluminum in his Fremont studio. In 1988, he moved his life and foundry to Pateros, Central Washington until 2005. He lived his final years in New York City.