Artwork copyright Sue and Peter Richards. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sue and Peter Richards. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sue and Peter Richards. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sue and Peter Richards. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Sue and Peter Richards. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Commons, 2010

Sue and Peter Richards
Sue Richards (American (born 1944)) - Peter Richards (American (born 1944))

Location: Peninsula College, Port Angeles

About the Artwork

Sue Richards and Peter Richards created five aluminum sculptures on basalt rock bases for Olympic College, located in Bremerton on the Kitsap Peninsula in South Puget Sound. The five sculptures represent the seven tallest peaks of the Olympic Mountain range that surround Olympic College. Each mountain sculpture is to scale and positioned on the campus relative to its true location. The artists note on the artwork plaque: "It is what is held in common that defines a society and its responsibilities."

Four sculptures representing six peaks are located in the fountain pools in the student commons: Mt. Mystery; Mt. Deception; Mt. Constance and Mt. Inner Constance (combined in one sculpture); Mt. Johnston and Mt. Clark (combined in one sculpture). The fifth sculpture representing Mt. Olympus is located in the science courtyard.

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Peninsula College.

About the Artist

Artist team Sue Richards and Peter Richards collaborate on large-scale public art installations. They approach each site individually, creating a unique visual language for the project. They are based in Oakland, California.
Sue Richards earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Colorado College in 1966. In addition to her art practice, she works as an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in San Francisco, California.
Peter Richards earned a Bachelor of Arts degree (1966) from Colorado College and a Master of Fine Arts degree (1969) from the Maryland Institute College of Art. He has served as a professor at Stanford University and at the San Francisco Art Institute (both in California), and as Senior Artist Emeritus at the Exploratorium in San Francisco since 2011.