Renowned sculptor and UC grad talks about his public art

CET and ThinkTV's program “The Art Show“ profiled renowned Cincinnati sculptor and University of Cincinnati graduate Tom Tsuchiya to highlight his many public works of art.

Tsuchiya, a graduate of UC's College of Arts and Sciences, has made artworks for multiple professional sports teams, the National Football League and Major League Baseball, among others.

But his works are found across the city, from the Solid Rock Church's 52-foot-tall Lux Mundi statue of Jesus that is seen by millions of drivers each year on I-75 to the cheetah statue at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden.

His work graces museums and public parks. He sculpted civil rights pioneer and UC graduate Marian Spencer, the first Black woman elected to Cincinnati City Council, for an installation at Smale Riverfront Park. Spencer served on UC's Board of Trustees. A UC scholarship was endowed in her name by Jim Goetz.

“What I aspire to do in every sculpture I create is to give this inanimate object a feeling of life,“ Tscuchiya told CET. “I want my sculptures to look like they literally have a heartbeat with blood coursing through their veins.“

Meanwhile, WCPO profiled Tsuchiya during a sneak peek at the new statue Tsuchiya made to commemorate longtime Cincinnati Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman.

Brennaman served as the voice of the Reds for 46 years at 700-WLW before his retirement in 2019. He was inducted into the Reds Hall of Fame and the National Radio Hall of Fame. 

Previously, Tsuchiya captured the likenesses of Reds greats including Joe Morgan and Pete Rose that are on display outside Great American Ballpark. He also made a lifesize sculpture of Brennaman's longtime broadcasting partner and former Reds pitcher Joe Nuxhall, who died in 2007. At just 15, Nuxhall was the youngest player ever to take the field in Major League Baseball.

Watch “The Art Show.“

Featured image at top: UC graduate Tom Tsuchiya works on his sculpture in front of his subject, Reds broadcasting great Marty Brennaman. Photo/WCPO