Next week, one of Cincinnati’s most prominent artists will be the featured speaker for a special luncheon at the Fitton Center of Creative Arts.
Tom Tsuchiya, a Cincinnati native and internationally recognized sculptor whose work is on display everywhere from the National Baseball Hall of Fame to the NFL’s annual trophies, will headline the center’s Celebrating Self luncheon on Wednesday, November 4. The Fitton Center is located at 101 S. Monument Avenue in Hamilton, OH.
“I am excited to get back to Hamilton,” he said in a release. “I’m glad to be part of the City of Sculpture.”
Most Cincinnatians likely know his work from the many sculptures he’s created that sit outside Great American Ball Park, like the statues of Johnny Bench throwing out a baserunner or Pete Rose sliding into home.
He also created the first-ever permanent BLINK installation, “Embrace No Evil,” that sits on Court Street Plaza next to Avril-Bleh, and was responsible for crafting the successor to the statue colloquially known as “Touchdown Jesus” in Monroe, OH, after it burned down.
In Hamilton, he created the bronze medallions adorning the face of the High-Main Bridge that depict scenes from the city’s history and its relationship to the Great Miami River.
Next up for the artist is a three-person sculpture depicting President Ulysses S. Grant, 19th-century Commissioner of Indian Affairs Ely Parker, and abolitionist statesman Frederick Douglass. It will be installed at the Bethel Historical Society on Grant’s birthday, April 27, 2027, in Bethel, Ohio.
“It’s really cool that I get to do this for a living,” he said. “Not a lot of people have that kind of opportunity. It’s hard. You have to take all the work you can when you can, because nothing is guaranteed. But I’m still excited to make things and hope people continue to enjoy the work.”
Tickets for the event are available now by clicking here.
