Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022.
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022 (detail).
Artwork copyright Bruce Morser. Photo courtesy of Washington State Arts Commission, by Dale Lang, 2022.
Citizen Soldiers, 2022
Bruce Morser
American (born 1954)
Location: Thurston County Readiness Center, Olympia
About the Artwork
Artist Bruce Morser’s ‘Citizen Soldiers’ layered installation for the Thurston County Readiness Center is inspired by the lives of the people serving in the National Guard. The artwork’s layers represent elements of the National Guard members’ lives such as family life and personal careers, military training, and public service. Guard members need to move fluidly among these different layers, which can be challenging but also very rewarding. The “Domestic Life” layer sits in front of the “Military Service” layer. This symbolizes how the military training is regular and predictable, always in the background of their lives. The “Military Service” layer can mostly only be seen by looking around the house and through a window. A young girl can see role models right outside her window in the artwork. “Public Service” activities such as helping flood victims, fighting fires, or responding to other natural disasters are also shown in the imagery. These events are emergencies and not predictable, but they are the reason National Guard members are so committed. To create this artwork, Bruce Morser spent time with Guardsmen and toured their facilities. He also dug through imagery at the National Guard Museum at Camp Murray, in Lakewood, Western Washington, and online. He notes, "While visiting cathedrals in Rome and Florence [Italy], I finally got the idea of celebrating the life a Guardsman with a large and complicated vertical piece of several layers, corresponding the complexity of their lives."
This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Military Department.
About the Artist
Bruce Morser creates public art and illustrations that with a strong element of drawing. He explains, “I like to understand how everything works... If I can stop the viewer, and get them to feel something and return for additional looks, and even bring a friend, I think I have done my job”.Morser earned an undergraduate degree in 1976 from Colgate University in New York State and a Master of Fine Arts (1988) in painting and sculpture from the University of Washington in Seattle. His early career was mainly freelance illustration, but has shifted to large installation artworks. He has lived in Washington State since 1980. Morser also teaches drawing and creativity to promote engagement in the arts.
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