Aug 8, 2018 4 min read

The Edwards name is familiar in the Brownsville and Centerville area.

Herbert F. Edwards Sr. immigrated to the United States at a young age and lived with his wife, Anna Fenwick, in Brownsville. He worked for the Monongahela Railroad and became a Brownsville Borough councilman.

His son, Herbert F. Edwards Jr., lived in Centerville and taught in the Brownsville school system, as did his wife, Susan. He also owned the Esso gas station in West Brownsville, which is now Dukeman’s Beer Distributor.

His sons, John and Herb, operated a small gas station in West Brownsville, which is now part of a welding shop. Now a fourth-generation scion of the well-known family is making his mark in the Pacific Northwest.

Miguel Edwards, 46, John’s son, made photography his career for many years, focusing mainly on commercial work but also making forays into fine art photography. His career took a turn in 1996 when he created his first sculpture, a 37-by-17-by-19-inch piece made of sandstone called “Perdenal Invasion,” which he gave to his parents.

He finished his first commercial sculpture, a lifecast torso, in 2000 and installed it in Club Contour, a Seattle nightclub.

“In 2009, I created ‘El Sol,’ a steel sphere much more sophisticated than anything else I’d ever done before,” he said. “It was then that I officially proclaimed I was a sculptor. I still do photography, but sculpture now keeps me pretty busy.”

Edwards moved to Seattle at the age of 21, when he met a “beautiful student” while studying at Southern Oregon State College in Ashland and followed her to Seattle.

“I only intended to stay five months,” he said.

Living in Washington’s largest city for the next 25 years, he established himself as a photographer, sculptor and installation artist whose outdoor work, such as “Perseus and Saturnus,” has embellished the city skyline. He also serves as a senior advisor for the Center on Contemporary Art in Seattle.

With the 50th anniversary of the Special Olympic USA Games scheduled for Seattle this summer, the event staff contacted the Dale Chihuly offices in Seattle looking for someone to design a flaming cauldron for the opening of games, much like the Olympics. They were quickly referred to Edwards, who recently relocated to Bend in Oregon’s high desert country with his wife, Corinna Jill.

“Coincidentally, a friend of mine had previously entered my name for consideration for the commission,” Edwards said. “The Special Olympics and I started talking in December, I got the commission in January and signed the contract in March.”

Edwards said he worked without a lot of oversight except for size, budget and completion date specifications. At the opening ceremony on July 1, he and his parents witnessed the lighting of his 13-foot tall, 2,000-pound stainless steel tribute to the spirit of the Olympics, titled “Hope Rising.” The cauldron symbolizes the Special Olympics’ goal of “shining a light” on the talents and abilities of people with intellectual disabilities.

“At the lighting and opening ceremony, the crowd was excited to be there, the athletes and their families were proud to be there and, when the flame was lit, everyone went nuts,” Edwards said. “It was a magical and energizing experience for me, and I couldn’t sit still with excitement.”

Because he created the cauldron for a nonprofit, he deliberately kept the price low. As a trade-off, he was allowed to keep ownership of the piece, now stored in a Seattle-area warehouse, and is currently looking for a buyer.

“It has been a great joy and satisfaction to make this piece for the Special Olympics,” Edwards said. “The courage and determination shown by these athletes was an inspiration to me as I worked on this piece, and I hope that people will notice the love, hard work and diligence that went into making the cauldron. Like the story of so many of these amazing athletes, it is a bit about never giving up.”

While Edwards was born in Idaho Falls, Idaho, and moved with his parents, John (Jack) and Viki Edwards, to New Mexico when he was 4, he remembers visiting his grandparents several times at their Centerville home as a youth, and has fond memories of Southwestern Pennsylvania. His 101-year-old aunt, Ursula Teggart, still lives in her Centerville home.

Locally, two of Edwards’ pieces are included in the art collection of Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa in Farmington. Sculptures “Corazon Recampago” and “Eclipse” are on display in Reflections, the resort’s newest space that houses dozens of contemporary paintings and sculptures.