Press Releases 2005

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Coming Home

By Louise McDowell

Coming Home is a bronze sculpture by Seattle-Gdynia Sister City Association (SGSCA) member and artist Louise McDowell. The sculpture is a gift from Louise and members and friends of SGSCA to the people of Gdynia, Poland.

Ms. McDowell’s sculpture, which depicts Coho salmon jumping out of water, was displayed at the City Hall during March. Mayor Nickels joined Louise, SGSCA President Glen Lee, and other members of SGSCA for a dedication ceremony of the sculpture on the day it was sent to Poland.

The sculpture will be mounted along Gdynia’s Seaside Boulevard (Bulwar Nadmorski), a popular boardwalk along Gdynia’s public beach. Seattle City Councilmember Jean Godden, Gdynia City officials, and Ed Kulakowski, Public Affairs Officer U.S. Embassy in Poland, led a dedication ceremony for the statue in Gdynia in May.

The Gift Of The Sculpture

The sculpture symbolizes the ties between the City of Seattle and the City of Gdynia.

The salmon are depicted as swimming together toward a common goal. The rock symbolizes the ties to the Earth. Fishing trades have been and will continue to be important to both cities, economically as well as culturally; our cultures are shaped by our connection to the sea.

The symbolism of the "Coming Home" is acknowledging this common root, not only in connection with the salmon, but in connection with so many of us in the United States who have roots in Poland.

Artist’s Biography

Louise McDowell grew up in New York City and was influenced by the cultural diversity of big city life. Her sculptures portray how people react to a wide spectrum of realities – simple, ordinary moments of pleasure and discovery, crushingly powerful socio-political events, transcendent and triumphant experiences.

Her first teaching position took her to Kodiak, Alaska, where a love and affinity for the environment was awakened. Louise has resided in Seattle for the past 40 years and her ties to the environment have continued to strengthen. On sabbatical in 1995 she studied salmon and the salmon peoples of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, their history and their myths. The year-long exploration gave her much information, hands-on experiences with reclamation projects, contact with many of the tribes, customs, artwork and myths of salmon peoples. These influences can be seen in many of her recent sculptures.



Louise’s father, Leo Schroettke, was born in Gdynia. His father was a fisherman in what was then a tiny village. They lived in what is now the downtown area of the city. Louise has visited her father’s home and the church where her family worshipped. Many of Louise’s family members remain in and around Gdynia.