The Centennial Sculpture
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What's that in the river? The stainless steel sculpture floating in the Spokane River was created by Harold Balazs in 1978. It was dedicated to the city in 1981 in celebration of the City of Spokane's centennial year. Harold Balazs is a renowned and adored Spokane figure, but his legend is recognizable throughout Washington, Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and Montana. Locally, Balazs' work is most associated for this exact sculpture you gaze upon, which appears to gracefully float on the river in Riverfront Park.
This sculpture weighs two tons and is fixed to the bottom of the Spokane River's south channel. The thirty-five foot long steel sculpture was designed to reflect light from the water. To really capture how light reflects off water and make his sculpture look like it could morph it's appearance, Balazs consulted marine engineers from Seattle. During the time of its installation, this sculpture was one of the largest floating statues in the world.
Files
Centennial Sculpture
A view of the sculpture from the north side of the river looking south. | Source: Richard Fraley from Flickr Creative Commons
Centennial Sculpture
A view of the sculpture from the south side of the river looking north. | Source: Brian Sayrs from Flickr Creative Commons
City Sculpture to Sit in River
Balazs' unique style drew attention even from officials involved in the project as reported in this article; "The board took a long quizzical look at the model of the work before it acted." | Source: Spokesman-Review December 11, 1981. Google News Archive.
Centennial Art Will Ride the River
Balazs seen here putting the final touches on the sculpture before instillation. | Source: Spokesman-Review September 12, 1982. Google News Archive.