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 | |
| Artist | Georgia Gerber |
| Year | 1986 |
| Type | Sculpture |
| Medium | Bronze |
| Subject | Piggy bank |
| Condition | "Well maintained" (1995) |
| Location | Seattle, Washington, United States |
| 47°36′31″N 122°20′27″W | |
Description and history
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
- "Rachel, (sculpture)". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- "Rachel the Piggy Bank". Pike Place Market Foundation. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
- 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.
- John Livingston, "Porcine Birthdays Reminiscent of Swine Times", Pike Place Market News, March 2006, p. 12. Accessed 16 October 2008.
- "Rachel", Community Resources Archived 2013-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, Pike Place Market official site. Accessed 16 October 2008.
- 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.
- "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.
- 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.
- Payne, Patti (March 17, 2011). "Rachel the pig returns to her market post". Puget Sound Business Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2016.
- "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.