standing tall, 2010

Norm Maleng Memorial, King County Courthouse, Seattle, WA
Tamar Benrinski Stern of 4Culture: project manager; Nick Robertson of Piano Nobile: architect and fabricator; Don Robertson of Blue Star Electric: lighting; Rick Oswald of Cutting Edge: sand blasted text; Cappy Thompson: hand painted glass; and Spike Mafford

Light box: 90 inches tall, triangular base 22″x14″x24″, layered glass panels, powder coated steel, photo images laminated in glass, sand blasted text in glass, and hand painting on glass, light. The sculpture is a light box, with the light source hidden behind the prism of glass panels.

The memorial is a place for those lucky enough to have known Norm Maleng to pause, and remember him every day. With a wit and tireless spirit, he delivered daily maxims to all the people with whom he worked – everyone.

“The mission of our office is not to win cases but to serve justice.”

For the hundreds of people who pass daily through the King County Courthouse, the memorial will be a reminder to the presence of place that they have entered, and to the mission that Norm held so high with his life’s work. This will also be a place that people might hear his thoughts within themselves:

“I have come to realize that all of us are ministers, and that we all have a ministry in life.”

I hope that this memorial might serve as a silent sentry, to all that enter the Courthouse.

As Norm would say, “Hope springs eternal.”