Students and visitors to RMC can’t miss a brightly colored addition to campus with the installation of a cherry blossom sculpture that has been gifted by the Embassy of Japan. The sculpture, installed outside McGraw-Page library, honors the enduring friendship and unique cultural exchange between Japan and Randolph-Macon College, strengthened in the decade since the Great East Japan Earthquake.

“Full Circle Blossom,” designed by Washington D.C.-based artist Alex Goastièr as part of the National Cherry Blossom Festival’s “Art in Bloom” exhibition, will be dedicated on campus on Wednesday, September 29 at 10:30 a.m. Members of the RMC community are welcome to attend next week to hear remarks by Ambassador to the United States Tomita Koji, President Robert Lindgren, National Cherry Blossom Festival President Diana Mayhew, RMC student Reece Coetzee ’22, and Andy and Jean Anderson, parents of alumna Taylor Anderson ’08. Anderson, who taught English to elementary-age students in the seaside town of Ishinomaki in the Miyagi province of Japan, was the first American victim identified in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

“Taylor has been honored throughout Japan for her bravery and heroism,” said President Lindgren. “The permanent presence of Full Circle Blossom on our campus is a visible symbol of RMC’s ongoing commitment to Japanese Studies and our commitment to cultural exchange between the students, faculty, and staff on our campus and the people and country of Japan.”  

The sculpture also features a plaque with a dedication inscription in both English and Japanese that reads:

This sculpture is a gift from the Embassy of Japan in the United States in commemoration of the Great East Japan Earthquake, the outpouring of generosity from our American friends, and the passing of Randolph-Macon alumna Taylor Anderson during this tragedy. Like the cherry blossoms it represents, this sculpture symbolizes the unshakable friendship between our countries. 

Artist Alex Goastièr says his design was inspired by mental health as it relates to the COVID-19 pandemic and represents his take on a physical representation of restoration, new beginnings, and the cyclical nature of the human experience navigating isolation. Through the exploration of color phasing, tint vs. tone, and layering, Alex writes, “I hope Full Circle Blossom provides my audience with a feeling that, very simply, everything comes full circle; things return to the more positive place from which they began.”