A 6-foot figure made of reclaimed metal stands along Olympia's downtown waterfront boardwalk.

It's called "Liberty Wept," and it has drawn more public attention than any other piece in this year's installation, according to Oly Arts.

The sculpture is the work of Christine Rose, a Portland-based artist, author, and playwright.

It's one of 14 new works installed along Percival Landing as part of the City of Olympia's annual Percival Plinth Project. Rose describes the piece on the city's project website as "burdened yet unbroken, mourning yet vigilant."

"Art has always been a way to speak truth when the usual channels feel closed," Rose told Oly Arts in a Tuesday, July 22, interview.

"'Liberty Wept' came from a deep concern about the direction of our country and a need to respond — because silence feels like complicity."

The other 13 sculptures span a wide range of styles. Steven Nagode's "Playful Sea Otter" features an otter with bulging eyes. Lloyd Whannell's "Silent Words" is a slender marble figure topped with a bronze head.

Residents have until midnight Friday, July 31, to vote on which sculpture joins Olympia's permanent public art collection.

The winner earns the People's Prize: a permanent home in the city. The city adopted ranked-choice voting for the Plinth Project in 2025, so voters can rank up to five favorites. Ballots are cast online at app.rankedvote.co.

The sculptures are free to visit anytime along the Percival Landing boardwalk in downtown Olympia, and the full list of all 14 works is on the city's official Percival Plinth Project page at olympiawa.gov.