Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2016.

Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Original installation, 1979. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Thomas Lindsey. Original installation, 1979. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Prayer Wheel Series, 1979

Thomas Lindsey
(American, born 1941, died 2017)

Location: Spokane Falls Community College, Spokane

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Prayer Wheel Series is a large-scale sculpture created by artist Thomas Lindsey for Spokane Falls Community College in Eastern Washington. He created the original arch by steaming and bending strips of redcedar wood, supported by concrete. He created the doughnut shape, called a torus, by welding together four pieces of steel pipe. The sculpture spans an oval form filled with river rocks.

In 2002, the artist worked with ArtsWA and Spokane Falls Community College to redesign the wood arch to resist deterioration. He replaced the wood elements with galvanized steel.

This artwork and others from the "Prayer Wheel Series" focus on the symbolism of cycles. Lindsey notes, "I feel that it is increasingly important for human beings to recognize that we are all bound together within the fabric of the universe, and that one common denominator to all things is the cycle."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Spokane Falls Community College.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

Northwest artist Thomas Lindsey (1941-2017) was a sculptor, architect, and musician. His work is heavily influenced by childhood memories of the huge steel mills and the many bridges around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where he grew up. He lived and worked on Guemes Island in North Puget Sound, Western Washington, for over forty years.

Lindsey studied architecture at the University of Kentucky and the University of Oklahoma, before receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1967. He worked a variety of jobs including in construction and as a welder, teacher, and architectural draftsman.