Manuel Izquierdo's The Dreamer was funded by the Portland Development Commission and installed at Pettygrove Park (Southwest 3rd Avenue between Market Street and Harrison Street) in downtown Portland in 1979.[2][3]The Oregon Encyclopedia contributor Roger Hull described the sculpture as a "flowing, abstract form poised on a geometric base sited in a pool of water. Organic and voluptuous, it is a modern river goddess. Izquierdo's faultlessly drop-welded seams (internal to the work and thus invisible) give the piece a taut clarity despite its sensuousness."[4] Izquierdo purchased and cleaned surplus Navy bronze,[5] then filled the sculpture with foam so that falling rain would create a "gentle sound like a kettledrum", rather than a ringing sound produced from rain hitting a hollow structure. He has said the work "speaks of hope, of beauty and serenity, of love, and for a better life in our midst".[2]
The Dreamer is part of the City of Portland and Multnomah County Public Art Collection courtesy of the Regional Arts & Culture Council, which administers the sculpture.[3][6]