Find Posts By Topic

Weekly Art Hit: ‘Pat (Vivian) and Sue (Woehrli)’ by Cecilia Cooney-Wickett

Congratulations to all the same-sex couples who married at City Hall on Dec. 9, and to all the couples now able to marry in the future. To celebrate, here’s Cecilia Cooney-Wickett’s charcoal drawing Pat (Vivian) and Sue (Woehrli).

Cooney-Wickett was commissioned in 1986 to create a series of drawings of Seattle area couples. Her project included couples of various ages, ethnic groups, sexual preferences and handicapping conditions. Six of the drawings are in the city’s Portable Works Collection.

In her artist statement, Cooney-Wicket wrote “My interest in the family is now shifting to focus on the couple, the basic family unit. The urge to commit to a life shared with another human being is certainly central to this culture, but the nature of the relationship between two lovers has stirred more controversy than any other contemporary social issue. I do not propose to make value judgments on these relationships, but to document their physical evidence, i.e. the faces, body language, and surrounding paraphernalia of the participants.”

Pat (Vivian) and Sue (Woehrli) is part of Seattle City Light’s 1% for Art Portable Works Collection.

IMAGE: Cecilia Cooney Cooney-Wickett, Pat (Vivian) and Sue (Woehrli), 1986, charcoal on paper.

– Tamara Gill, Community Development & Outreach