Rachel, also known as Market Foundation Piggy Bank, Rachael the Pig, Rachel the Pig or Rachel the Piggy Bank,[1][2] is an outdoor bronze sculpture of a piggy bank, designed by Georgia Gerber and located at Pike Place Market in Seattle, Washington, in the United States. It was dedicated on August 17, 1986, the market's 79th birthday,[3] and is maintained by the Pike Place Market Foundation.[1] Modeled after a pig (also named Rachel) that lived on Whidbey Island and was the 1985 Island County prize-winner. In 2006 Rachel received roughly $9,000 annually while in 2018, donations increased to $20,000.[4] The money is collected by the Market Foundation to fund the Market's social services.[5][6]
Description
The statue in 2019
The Smithsonian Institution describes Rachel as a "life-size, realistic figure" of a sow piggy bank.[1] The Pike Place Market Foundation calls it the "mascot" of Pike Place Market.[2] The bronze sculpture depicts a pig with a money slot on the top of its head and measures approximately 36 by 66 by 16 inches (91 cm × 168 cm × 41 cm) and weighs 550 pounds (250 kg).[7]
Bronze footprints are on the sidewalk leading to the pig figure. One nearby plaque reads: "Market Foundation Piggy Bank. Made possible by a gift from Fratelli's Ice Cream, August 17, 1986".[1] Another states that money deposited into the piggy bank benefits local human service organizations.[1]
History
The sculpture was surveyed by the Smithsonian's Save Outdoor Sculpture! program in April 1995 and was deemed "well maintained".[1]
On February 5, 2011, Rachel was struck by a taxicab and was knocked off its concrete base.[7][8] The sculpture suffered cosmetic damage, including a 10 inches (25 cm) crack along the left ear and a dent on its left side, and was repaired at Gerber's studio on Whidbey Island. Rachel returned to the Pike Place Market on March 18, 2011, after a tour of Seattle landmarks in a vintage farm truck.[9][10]
Rachel was joined by a "cousin" named Billie, installed in July 2011 at the Western Avenue entrance to the market.[11]
^Tarzan, Deloris (April 1, 1986). "This little piggy goes to the market: Foundation picks pig, artist for permanent market metal sculpture". The Seattle Times. p. F1.
^John Livingston, "Porcine Birthdays Reminiscent of Swine Times", Pike Place Market News, March 2006, p. 12Archived 2008-12-02 at the Wayback Machine. Accessed 16 October 2008.
