UPDATE 9/6/13
Governor Jay Inslee has proclaimed Sunday, September 8th “Harbor Seal Day”. Included in the proclamation is the message to all Washington residents across our state to join Governor Inslee and help keep our waters free of trash and toxins, and to “share the shore” with harbor seals and all wildlife. Mayor Mike McGinn has joined in and done the same with a city proclamation.

A number of businesses are making special offers to honor the upcoming dedication of the "Sentinels of the Sound" sculpture on Alki Beach.
Hotwire Coffee has a "Seal Sitters Mocha" and will donate $3 to the marine mammal organization for each one sold. Alki Subway (recently opened) will donate 50 cents for any footlong sub on Sept. 8, and Bamboo Bar & Grill will donate a dollar for any 25oz draft beer sold on Sept. 8. And Alki Spud will donate a dollar to Seal Sitters for every cup of chowder sold Sept. 7 and 8.

Original Post 8/22/13
The long awaited sculpture celebrating marine mammals and their place in our world, Sentinels of the Sound was installed Thursday morning by the sculptor Georgia Gerber, Robin Lindsey of Seal Sitters, Virginia Keck, Gerber's long time assistant and Randy Hudson who worked on the casting.

It was put in place just east of the Alki Bathhouse atop special "rocks" created for the purpose by Turnstone Construction whose work is also installed in the penguin exhibit at Woodland Park Zoo. JoDean Edelheit with Seal Sitters said the rocks were designed to resemble those in the Blakeley Formation, layers of shale and sandstone notable for being one of the few outcrops of bedrock in the Seattle area. They can be seen at Constellation Park on Beach Drive.

The cost of the project, covered by a grant from Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods and private donations was substantially lower than it might have been otherwise. Both Turnstone and Sculptor Gerber did the work for far less than they would normally charge, all to make this piece of public art possible.

Gerber said she works with the clay "until I see something coming out of it." Lindsey said that the goal was to portray the bond between mother and pup but to be able to see the faces of both, so they are not looking one another, yet still the closeness is obvious. "They were actually in a different configuration but I wasn't happy with it. The other seal was in a different location so I moved a lot of clay until I got it working." Gerber works to include emotion, "but also artistic interpretation that goes beyond a completely realistic seal."

She has worked for decades, primarily on animal figures, including Rachel, the Pike Street Market Pig which was put in place in 1986.

After months of shepherding the sculpture project, Lindsey looked at the piece in place and said, "It makes me want to cry."

A dedication for the sculpture is coming up Sunday Sept 8 from 1 to 4pm Entries from the organizations art and story contest will be displayed at this “Harbor Seal Day” at the Alki Bathhouse. Live music, and much more are expected to be part of the event.