Escaping the Rain

It was pouring rain first thing in the morning. But an intrepid group of sketchers met anyway and were rewarded with drier, if cool, weather.

We mostly escaped the rain this morning at Chinese Reconciliation Park.  The String of Pearls Bridge and Fuzhaou Ting were popular subjects.

"The purpose of the community-led reconciliation project is to acknowledge the 1885 expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese citizens and to honor the commitment Tacoma has made since to end racism and hatred, and to promote a peaceful, multicultural community."
Source 

The Fuzhou Ting was a gift from Tacoma's sister city of Fuzhou, China.  It was crafted in Chine and constructed on site.  I couldn't find any information about the String of Pearls.  

  I wanted to show the Ting in it's Tacoma context, with the Ruston Way overpass on the right. 

I've sketched the bridge once or twice before.  This time I picked a view from near the beach with lots of rocks and driftwood in the foreground.

First Outing

 

 Urban Sketchers Tacoma met together in person for the first time since March 2020. We were at Chinese Reconciliation Park. It was so wonderful to see so many old friends and to meet some new ones!

I've been there at least 3 times so I've sketched the major views at the park so I went to the adjacent park to sketch this object. There is nothing near to to tell us anything about it but I found out later it is a sundial, which is what I suspected. The landscape architect on the project, Tom Pulford, decided the area needed a "point of interest". After some thought, he designed and installed the oversize "sundial" sculpture.

 

I liked the big paddle board leaning against this bus. This is Big Bus Paddle Sports, owned by Douglas. 

We had a good sized group!

 

--Kate Buike

Reconciliation Park

We gathered this morning to sketch the Chinese Reconciliation Park.  Most everyone thought this was an excellent sketching spot.

 
Mark arrived early and chose a good viewpoint


 
The group in front of the Temple


"The Chinese garden motif allows the park to stand both as an acknowledgment of the forceful expulsion of the Chinese population of the City of Tacoma by municipal leaders and a large crowd on November 3, 1885, and as a celebration of the city’s multicultural past, present, and future."
This outlet described the purpose of the park as "is to acknowledge the 1885 expulsion of Tacoma’s Chinese citizens and to honor the commitment Tacoma has made since to end racism and hatred, and to promote a peaceful, multicultural community."

Thus my first sketch was of the standing stones and carved boulders. The figures carved on the boulders represent the expulsion.



Next I sketched the temple, "Fuzhou Ting" donated by the city of Fuzhou, China



More Photos here

-- by Kate Buike