Southern Sonoma County-raised and based classical artist 27-year-old Henry Washer has raised almost $10,000 towards his substantial $18,000 goal to take his fantastic Petaluma-designed and crafted scultpture-installation Monument of Indecision all the way to the desert for Burning Man 2018.
It has been wonderful to experience Henry's thought-provoking work take flight in our art-loving community, uniting friends and neighbors and creatives from all walks of life in supporting one of our own most talented young visual art emerging stars.
When art brings people together in collective awe and applause, it's a wonderful thing. This is no small task that the artist is undertaking, the man that is the Monument would be about 13 feet tall if he stood up.
Henry has been making art since he was a little kid and making it his life work since his late teens. After furthering his art education in Europe, Henry brought his classical sculpting skills back to Northern California and has been making waves in the art world these past few years.
There is substantial cost involved in moving a piece of work of this weight and magnitude out to the desert and back. Please join me in helping Henry Washer take his work to the Playa to stand amongst the sorts of world-class art installations that provide a young artist a global photographic stage.
Check out the cool rewards for pledging and know that this week there is a matching funder for whatever Henry brings in up to $1,000. A few dollars from many makes the art world go around.
Click here for the artist's full hatchfund page.
The Monument of Indecision is a sculpture-installation for Burning Man 2018. A monument to the power and weight of individual choice. A place for reflection and self empowerment. "Everyone has the capacity for good and bad," says the artist "and I want this piece to inspire the contemplation of one’s own decisions. This is a sanctuary for the individual to seek out their own wisdom and truth unique to themselves."
The structure is a place to reflect on the decisions we’ve made or choices we will have to make. The man is sculpted as a physically strong figure to remind people that making a choice takes strength and courage and should not be taken lightly. "In the day time, the viewer can come take refuge in the space and look at the sculpture with natural light to see the starkness of a situation," says Henry. "At night they can return and see the space lit up with the dancing lights of his potential, showing that with strength comes beauty, kindness, and the possibility of a better world."
The Main structure consists of 4 large wooden columns that stand vertical by use of guy wires, creating a 12’x12’x12’ central room. Jutting out in all directions are smaller auxiliary spaces. Shade cloth covers all of the spaces. In the center of the room is a larger than life size cast concrete sculpture of a man sitting hunched over. The robust physicality of the man illustrates the severity of contemplation as a physical and mental struggle. A 7’ fiberglass orb ominously floats above him, with the top peaking out of the shade cloth. From the man’s open hands, strings of light spiral upwards around the orb. The lights form a series of tracks that are filled with illuminated schools of swimming fish, flying insects, and dancing geometric shapes. The objects are LED illuminated laser-cut acrylic. The space above him is a cloud of glimmering decisions and possibilities represented by a cacophony of lights, that expand throughout the room with an ungoverned natural energy.
Thank you for this ! wonderful to see ... Go Henry !
Posted by: Drew Washer | Wednesday, June 06, 2025 at 10:18 PM