Rachel (Gerber)

Rachel, also known as Market Foundation Piggy Bank, Rachael the Pig, Rachel the Pig or Rachel the Piggy Bank,[1][2] is an outdoor bronze sculpture of a piggy bank, designed by Georgia Gerber and located at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It was dedicated on August 17, 1986, the market's 79th birthday,[3] and is maintained by the Pike Place Market Foundation.[1] Modeled after a pig (also named Rachel) that lived on Whidbey Island and was the 1985 Island County prize-winner, Rachel receives roughly $9,000 annually in just about every type of world currency, which is collected by the Market Foundation to fund the Market's social services.[4][5]

Rachel
The sculpture and bronze footprints in 2019
ArtistGeorgia Gerber
Year1986 (1986)
TypeSculpture
MediumBronze
SubjectPiggy bank
Condition"Well maintained" (1995)
LocationSeattle, Washington, United States
Coordinates47°36′31″N 122°20′27″W

Description and history
The statue in 2019

The Smithsonian Institution describes Rachel as a "life-size, realistic figure" of a sow piggy bank.[1] The Pike Place Market Foundation calls it the "mascot" of Pike Place Market.[2] The bronze sculpture depicts a pig with a money slot on the top of its head and measures approximately 36 by 66 by 16 inches (91 cm × 168 cm × 41 cm) and weighs 550 pounds (250 kg).[6] Bronze footprints are on the sidewalk leading to the pig figure. One nearby plaque reads: "Market Foundation Piggy Bank. Made possible by a gift from Fratelli's Ice Cream, August 17, 1986".[1] Another states that money deposited into the piggy bank benefits local human service organizations.[1]

The sculpture was surveyed by the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program in April 1995 and was deemed "well maintained".[1]

On February 5, 2011, Rachel was struck by a taxicab and was knocked off its concrete base.[6][7] The sculpture suffered cosmetic damage, including a 10 inches (25 cm) crack along the left ear and a dent on its left side, and was repaired at Gerber's studio on Whidbey Island. Rachel returned to the Pike Place Market on March 18, 2011, after a tour of Seattle landmarks in a vintage farm truck.[8][9]

Rachel was joined by a "cousin" named Billie, installed in July 2011 at the Western Avenue entrance to the market.[10]

See also

References
  1. "Rachel, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
  2. "Rachel the Piggy Bank". Pike Place Market Foundation. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  3. Tarzan, Deloris (April 1, 1986). "This little piggy goes to the market: Foundation picks pig, artist for permanent market metal sculpture". The Seattle Times. p. F1.
  4. John Livingston, "Porcine Birthdays Reminiscent of Swine Times", Pike Place Market News, March 2006, p. 12. Accessed 16 October 2008.
  5. "Rachel", Community Resources Archived 2013-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, Pike Place Market official site. Accessed 16 October 2008.
  6. O'Hagan, Maureen (February 6, 2011). "Rachel, Pike Place brass pig, survives crash—Rear-ended taxi careens into statue Rachel knocked off cement base". The Seattle Times. p. B2. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  7. "Taxi crashes into Pike Place Market pig statue". KING 5 News. February 5, 2011. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  8. Frause, Sue (March 5, 2011). "Whidbey Island's Rachel the Pig ready to return to the Pike Place Market". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  9. Payne, Patti (March 17, 2011). "Rachel the pig returns to her market post". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
  10. "Celebrate as Rachel Turns 25 – Plus, Welcome Billie the Pig to Pike Place Market!". Downtown Seattle Association. July 25, 2011. Retrieved September 29, 2016.

Further reading
  • Rupp, James (1992). Art in Seattle's Public Places. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 91.
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