Artwork copyright Ross Palmer Beecher. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Ross Palmer Beecher. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

Artwork copyright Ross Palmer Beecher. Photo courtesy of the artist (detail).

It's Such a Fine Way, 1990

Ross Palmer Beecher
(American, born 1957)

Location: Seven Oaks Elementary, Lacey

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

It's Such a Fine Way is a whimsical mixed media sculpture created by artist Ross Palmer Beecher, who often uses recycled and found objects in her artworks. The keys of the piano are made from an electrical control panel to an old stove. The text reads "It's such a fine way to play a Steinway," which references lyrics from a duet between Judy Garland and Fred Astaire in the film 'Easter Parade' (1948). Describing her inspiration for this piece, Beecher notes "the piano stirred my soul. Something deep down there. No words for it."

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

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Ross Palmer Beecher is a Seattle-based mixed media artist. Her sculptural artworks are often composed as quilts and constructed of recycled materials. She describes her work as inspired by folk-art and "the joy of resourcefulness that has become a way of life."

Beecher grew up in the Northeast U.S. She studied painting, printmaking, and illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). In 1978, she moved to Seattle and began making traditional quilts to relieve her homesickness for the Northeast. In 1993, Beecher started managing the art therapy program at the Bailey-Boushay House for patients with AIDS in Seattle. She continues to be part of that program and it informs her own art practice. Her artworks are featured in museum collections including the Seattle Art Museum and Portland Art Museum. She received the 2020 Twining Humber Award for lifetime artistic achievement.

You can watch a short video about Beecher's art practice made by the Washington State Arts Commission in 2008 with support from the American Masters Program of the National Endowment for the Arts.