Artwork copyright Stan Peterson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Stan Peterson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

Artwork copyright Stan Peterson. Photo courtesy of the artist.

The Dinner Party, 1988

Stan Peterson
American (born 1945)

Location: Washington State Arts Commission, Olympia

About the Artwork

The Dinner Party is part of artist Stan Peterson's body of carved wooden sculptures based on his memories growing up outside of Portland, Oregon. He hand-whittled each element over the course of several months. Two events blended in Peterson's memory to inspire this piece. One was a dinner at an old hotel on the Oregon coast. The other was a black tie wedding reception. He notes, "Although the two events occurred within a few weeks of one another, the edges of the memories blurred into one Dinner Party. I set about to carve a piece which had coastal folks dressed up for a formal evening. The characters have set places at the table but they can get up and change chairs with any other guest. There is implied the possibility of talk, gossip, deals to be made, promises whispered."

This artwork was acquired for the State Art Collection in partnership with Washington State Arts Commission.

About the Artist

Artist Stan Peterson is an artist and wood carver who creates "freestanding short stories" in his sculptural compositions. He grew up in the rural outskirts of Portland, Oregon. For over thirty years, Peterson lived in the San Francisco area and facilitated art-making with adults who are disabled at Creative Growth Art Center in Oakland, California. In his own words: “Sometimes I think I’m just a woodpecker at heart.”