WATERSHED WISHING BELL & YOUTH ARTS FUND
For over 40 years artists Tom Jay and Sara Mall Johani have made their home in Chimacum, WA, the heart of the Quimper Peninsula. Their commitment to this place, the people and ecosystem that make it thrive, has been central to their art and will continue to inspire our community for generations to come. Many small family farms, healthy salmon streams, beautiful fields and thriving orchards all around us are profound testaments to their vision and dedication.
It had long been a dream here to have one of Tom’s sculptures live in Chimacum. In the summer of 2019, one of Tom’s bells became available, and we were determined to find a way to bring it back here to the Chimacum Valley. Through the generous support of our friends and neighbors, and partner organizations, we have brought this magnificent bell home and it now lives at Finnriver Farm & Cidery for all to enjoy.
Tom Jay was an active member of the Northwest art community since 1966, when he arrived from a two year apprenticeship at an art foundry in Ontario, CA. He built the first bronze casting facility for Seattle University and went on to supervise and construct casting facilities at the University of Washington. Upon graduation, with an MFA from the University of Washington in 1969, he established Riverdog Fine Arts Foundry in Chimacum which cast, in addition to his own work, sculpture for many notable PNW sculptors.
Tom has several published books including original essays and poetry. Tom and his wife, artist Sara Mall Johani were active in salmon restoration and education for decades in this region and among the many wonderful things they created, raised a son, Dru, here in Chimacum.
In the spirit of Tom and Sara Mall’s work, and inspired by the principles that have always guided them —Restoration, Education, Celebration—we welcome Tom’s Watershed Wishing Bell to Chimacum. With it, we honor Tom and Sara Mall, and the necessity of beauty.
We hope the bell can serve as a symbol of their legacy to the community and all are invited to support the Watershed Wishing Bell Fund -- established in their name to provide ongoing support to the youth of Jefferson County for Arts and Environmental projects.
For over 40 years artists Tom Jay and Sara Mall Johani have made their home in Chimacum, WA, the heart of the Quimper Peninsula. Their commitment to this place, the people and ecosystem that make it thrive, has been central to their art and will continue to inspire our community for generations to come. Many small family farms, healthy salmon streams, beautiful fields and thriving orchards all around us are profound testaments to their vision and dedication.
It had long been a dream here to have one of Tom’s sculptures live in Chimacum. In the summer of 2019, one of Tom’s bells became available, and we were determined to find a way to bring it back here to the Chimacum Valley. Through the generous support of our friends and neighbors, and partner organizations, we have brought this magnificent bell home and it now lives at Finnriver Farm & Cidery for all to enjoy.
Tom Jay was an active member of the Northwest art community since 1966, when he arrived from a two year apprenticeship at an art foundry in Ontario, CA. He built the first bronze casting facility for Seattle University and went on to supervise and construct casting facilities at the University of Washington. Upon graduation, with an MFA from the University of Washington in 1969, he established Riverdog Fine Arts Foundry in Chimacum which cast, in addition to his own work, sculpture for many notable PNW sculptors.
Tom has several published books including original essays and poetry. Tom and his wife, artist Sara Mall Johani were active in salmon restoration and education for decades in this region and among the many wonderful things they created, raised a son, Dru, here in Chimacum.
In the spirit of Tom and Sara Mall’s work, and inspired by the principles that have always guided them —Restoration, Education, Celebration—we welcome Tom’s Watershed Wishing Bell to Chimacum. With it, we honor Tom and Sara Mall, and the necessity of beauty.
We hope the bell can serve as a symbol of their legacy to the community and all are invited to support the Watershed Wishing Bell Fund -- established in their name to provide ongoing support to the youth of Jefferson County for Arts and Environmental projects.