Isamu Noguchi’s Skyviewing Sculpture is a minimalistic sculpture located on Western Washington University’s north campus. At first glance is appears to be quite simple, but the artist’s intentions were very great.

He was born on November 17th, 1904 in Los Angeles to an American mother and a Japanese father. He was studying pre-medicine at Columbia University, but soon left to become and academic sculptor. His work was not widely recognized in the U.S. until 1938 until her created a large scale sculpture symbolizing freedom of the press. He set up his own studio in New York City in 1942. He opened up the Noguchi Museum in 1985 in Long Island City, New York and die in New York City in 1988.

Isamu Noguchi was representing nature in this specific work. The circular disk represents the sun, because this shape represents the sun in Japan and the sun is a symbol of creation. The viewer is supposed to go inside/under the sculpture. Since Noguchi considers the viewer to be part of the sculpture, his vision is the union to two creative forces. Man and nature. He also wanted the audience to look at the sky in a new way. This sculpture was created December 1969. This was at the exact same time Pearl Harbor was attacked. As a man of Japanese decent and an American citizen, this affected him greatly. It led him to be a political activist through his art. At a time of great destruction and loss Noguchi created a piece of art that represents union and creation.

Noguchi has several other pieces of art he has created. Some of his other works include Mother and Child (1947), Mu (1951), Time Lock (1945), and many other minimalistic works. His art is displayed on his website. http://www.noguchi.org/

Group Members:

Emily Porter

Rachel Sandal