Stainless steel, anodized aluminum and fused glass sculpture for Mercy Housing in Auburn, CA.

13′ tall, 14′ across

The Place Where We Meet outdoor sculpture is both an eye-catching statement for the corner of Bell Rd. and First St., and an embracing form welcoming the residents into the larger local community through a celebration of life journey and home. The sculpture’s form contains several symbols that connect to our region’s natural heritage and indigenous values.

First and foremost, the spiral form represents the snail, associated with wisdom, patient progress, persistence, peace, self-care, and harmony. It’s a gentle creature that carries her home wherever she goes. They also symbolize self-love and self-care above everything else, retreating into their shell at the first sign of danger. As the snail moves through life, she adds new compartments to her shell and her home evolves. Inside each compartment on the sculpture is a fused glass disk that represents a gathered and stored seed, representative of renewed possibility.

The anodized aluminum chain basketry references the cultural practice of basketmaking to safely store what we want to keep. Since earliest times, baskets woven from reeds and grasses have functioned as containers for gathered bounty. The weaving of the basket contains symbolic patterns that are themselves a weaving together of the natural world. Womblike in form, woven from and holding the vegetation associated with the cycle of life, baskets link the practical and spiritual. In this basket reference, we hold respect for each other and our landscape. On a literal dimension, the sculpture has the potential to accommodate a seating spot inside. The basketry pattern tells the story of the basket, here representing a historic Miwok basket pattern of lightning–the symbol of truth. This particular pattern may easily be altered at this conceptual stage to represent a preferred pattern or idea.

Other references include the snakeskin and eagle feather. In Miwok culture, the snakeskin represents growth and shedding of the past. The mesh swirl around the basket form represents the shedded skin. The sculpture is topped with a crown of eagle feathers that curl towards the sky. The eagle is the protector who oversees what we do on the ground. In this exuberant crown configuration, we welcome the eagles of our local raptor migration to bestow their blessings.

Designed in collaboration with Landscape Sculptor, Deanna Marsh.

Reviews

Genevieve has a great respect for culture, memory, and the role of art and architecture in preserving both... as well as a strong grasp of the historical and ethical dimensions of architecture. Genevieve is an original, she will undoubtedly have a profound impact on the cultural and international debates in art and architecture.

David Gersten

Director, Arts, Letters and Numbers

She was a fearless, inventive, and determined member of a very strong international cohort of designers. Among her remarkable traits is an infectious enthusiasm and true delight in the often conflicting and onerous process of design, whether it be traditional architectural work, urban design projects, or her more visceral experiential works.

Jim Barnes

AIA Architect

Genevieve immersed herself fully into these projects and was able to analyze them and create unique solutions for them. She’s a self starter, and finds ways to contribute and add value to projects out of her own initiative. She’s extremely professional.

Nadine Schelbert

Creative Director, WET Design

I will always be grateful to Genevieve Marsh for her work on my memoirs. Her design, cover and layout were perfect for me. She took my pictures of my childhood and placed them in such a way that really catches the eye laying them flat on two pages. Genevieve has inspired me and showed me that anything is possible or rather nothing is impossible.

Charlotte Mankin

Author

She plants seeds for ideas that grow our thinking in fresh directions and opens the mind to possibilities that are both practical and new - and in new directions. What a way to recharge an organization and build a sense that dreams are doable. Her deliverables were delivered in a timely fashion, were executed with precision and exceeded expectations.

Leslie Warren

Chair, Alliance for Environmental Leadership

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916-316-8061

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530-613-7060

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