Food & Drink

A Chris Cornell Statue Is Coming to Seattle

The life-size bronze statue of the Seattle music legend will be a permanent fixture outside of MoPOP

By Dan Shafer July 20, 2018

cornell-final-vid-RESIZE_0

Today would have been Chris Cornell’s 54th birthday. In his honor, his wife Vicky Cornell announced today that he will be commemorated with a statue in his hometown of Seattle.

The life-size bronze statue will be located at the Museum of Popular Culture (MoPOP) in front of the south entrance, facing 5th Avenue. It will be raised in a public ceremony on Wednesday, Aug. 29. (UPDATE (8/23): MoPOP has moved the statue unveiling event to Oct. 7 “due to the awesome overwhelming response from our community.”)

Sculptor Nick Marras has been commissioned to create the statue of the Soundgarden and Audioslave singer that will be “showcasing the rock legend in one of his iconic poses with his signature boots, dog tag, layers and long locks.”

Vicky Cornell said this is a “gift back to the tight-knit community that gave him his start.”

“Even though Chris’ music touched the lives of millions around the world, there is no better place than Seattle to honor and celebrate both his contribution to music history, as well as Seattle’s unique place in popular music, with an enduring symbol of a beloved artist, father, and husband,” said Vicky Cornell. “Our children and I are deeply moved by the continued outpouring of love, compassion, and support, and this is our gift to the Museum of Pop Culture and to Seattle.”

Jasen Emmons, artistic director at MoPOP, said the museum was honored to receive the gift, calling Cornell “one of the most powerful and important voices in popular music.”

“MoPOP serves to celebrate the Seattle music scene and the luminaries who have emerged from the Northwest and Chris was a key figure who has made a lasting impact on generations worldwide,” he said.

Cornell died by suicide at age 52

Vicky Cornell also posted messages on Twitter remembering her late husband and wishing him happy birthday.

Follow Us

Feeding Ghosts to Free Them

Feeding Ghosts to Free Them

Artist Tessa Hulls creates a revealing graphic novel to help her deal with childhood trauma

Seattle artist Tessa Hulls’ new graphic novel Feeding Ghosts is a deeply stirring narrative of loss, mental illness, and intergenerational trauma. She says that she wrote it to answer this question: What broke my family? Much of the book is about repetition, and how three generations of women in Hulls’ family were emotionally crippled by

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Seattle Launches Public Poetry Campaign

Short poems on sustainability will crop up across the city in April

Poetry installations will appear across Seattle starting April 1 as part of the city’s Public Poetry campaign...

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Beauty and Diversity in Art

Seattle's art scene is embracing more voices and viewpoints than ever

Seattle has become something of a hot spot for diversity in the arts...

The Power Of Quitting

The Power Of Quitting

Giving something up is never easy, especially because society rarely rewards such behavior

I’m not a quitter... llustration by Arthur Mount