Tom Tsuchiya has spent more than two decades turning bronze into some of the Cincinnati area's most recognizable public art, from the row of Reds legends outside Great American Ball Park to the Hall of Fame plaques honoring baseball's greatest players. On Wednesday, November 4, he will bring that career home to downtown Hamilton as the featured speaker at the Fitton Center for Creative Arts' Celebrating Self luncheon.
According to the Fitton Center for Creative Arts, Tsuchiya will headline the event at the center's location at 101 S. Monument Avenue in downtown Hamilton. Tickets are $26 for Fitton Center members and $32 for non-members, and are available now, as Cincinnati CityBeat reports. The Celebrating Self series is described by the Fitton Center as a lunchtime speaker series that presents a diverse array of engaging speakers to guests during a buffet luncheon.
A Hometown Connection to the Riverfront
Tsuchiya's ties to Hamilton run deeper than the luncheon invite. He created the bronze medallions adorning the city's High-Main Bridge, depicting scenes from Hamilton's history and its relationship to the Great Miami River, per the same account from the Fitton Center. CityBeat reports that Tsuchiya said he is excited to return to Hamilton and glad to be part of the city of sculpture.
The Fitton Center notes that Tsuchiya plans to bring several models of his sculptures to the luncheon to help illustrate his process, including a 3-D print of his Marty Brennaman sculpture. That piece, honoring Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman, joined the lineup of Tsuchiya-sculpted figures outside Great American Ball Park in 2025, according to the Fitton Center.
From the Big Red Machine to the Hall of Fame
Tsuchiya's ballpark work spans generations of Reds history. The Fitton Center's account describes how he captured dynamic likenesses of Frank Robinson, Ted Kluszewski and Ernie Lombardi, along with Big Red Machine stars Pete Rose, Johnny Bench, Tony Pérez and Joe Morgan. The sculptor has been creating work for the Reds since 2003, and by 2016 had produced eight life-size bronze statues commissioned by the team to honor its greatest players, according to baseballhall.org.
That same year, Matthews Architectural Products named Tsuchiya its new sculptor for the bronze plaques produced for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. His first assignment was sculpting the likenesses of the 2016 induction class, Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza, baseballhall.org reports, and uc.edu confirms his very first plaque was made for Griffey. Tsuchiya, a University of Cincinnati Classics graduate from the class of 1995, was born and raised in Cincinnati and grew up rooting for the Reds, according to NPR, which reports that each plaque can take him about 50 hours to make.
Beyond Baseball: Court Street and a Burned Jesus Statue
Tsuchiya's portfolio extends well past the diamond. In 2024, he and his younger brother created the first permanent BLINK installation, Embrace No Evil, at Court Street Plaza next to Avril-Bleh, according to the Fitton Center. He is also the designer behind the replacement for Monroe's famous roadside statue known as Touchdown Jesus, which burned down and was rebuilt as a monument initially named Come Unto Me before later being renamed Lux Mundi, per WCPO.
Looking ahead, Tsuchiya is working on a three-person sculpture depicting Ulysses S. Grant, Ely Parker and Frederick Douglass, which is scheduled to be unveiled at the Bethel Historical Society on Grant's birthday, April 27, 2027, in Bethel, Ohio, the Fitton Center reports. Tsuchiya has described the uncertainty built into his profession candidly, telling the Fitton Center, “It's hard. You have to take all the work you can when you can, because nothing is guaranteed.” CityBeat notes he considers it very cool to make a living creating art and hopes people continue to enjoy his work.
