Sculptural Art Blooms

A vibrant new addition has sprouted on the Seattle University campus.

On March 5, the Seattle University community came together to formally dedicate a new outdoor sculptural piece, the iconic Tom Wesselman “Tulip” now in its new home on the Union Green. The “flower” is impressive in its size and colorful design, radiating beauty and nature in a decidedly urban environment.

The Tulip sculpture was originally commissioned in 1989, along with two other monumental public art works, by Wright Runstad & Company to brighten their development at First Interstate Center in Seattle. The large, vibrant metal representation of the tulip flower lived on the corner of Madison and Third Avenue for 40 years until the building changed ownership in 2019.

For the past seven years the Tulip was stored in Art Tech Seattle with the intent to rehome it. The Tulip's new home on campus is thanks to "Friends of the Seattle Tulip," a group of preservationists who worked with the owners to help bring the piece to SU and championed the fundraising needed for its restoration and installation.  

Seattle University's curator of art, Josef Venker, S.J., alongside the impressive sculpture. 

Seattle University made perfect sense as the place for the Tulip to blossom.

“I have watched the Seattle University campus grow into an urban jewel over the past half-century. (Former President) Father Sullivan recruited me onto the Seattle University Board and I developed a deep affection for the institution and for the campus,” says Judy Runstad, vice chair of Wright Runstad & Company and a former SU Trustee. “Father Sullivan envisioned an excellent institution of higher learning ensconced in a beautiful urban campus. He felt that beautiful surroundings affected the learning environment as well as the greater civic health.”

As SU continues to grow its art collection, most notably with its Hedreen art collection—the largest gift of its kind ever—and the development of the Seattle University Museum of Art, Wesselman’s Tulip adds another prestigious masterpiece to SU’s impressive art portfolio.

“The acquisition of a work by such a noted sculptor as Wesselman is a crowning achievement,” Runstad says. “… Thousands of downtown visitors and workers enjoyed the Tulip for many years. It is gratifying to know that thousands of students and campus visitors will continue to experience the joy.”