Indigenous artist Mark Fischer has been chosen by Milwaukee Public Museum to create an outdoor art installation for the the plaza between the new museum on 6th and McKinley and its parking structure.
Fischer, of the Oneida Nation, has designed “The Gathering Place,” which has a domed shape and will be made mostly of copper.
The name is a reference to the Potawatomi word "Minwaking" meaning “gathering place by the waters,” one of the sources of the name "Milwaukee."
The sculpture will be accessible to all as the green space at the new museum is open to the public.
“I am incredibly proud to be trusted with creating such a meaningful piece of art for the Future Museum,” said Fischer, who is originally from Milwaukee.
“I feel a special connection to this land and am truly honored to create an iconic piece of art for this centuries-old gathering place to celebrate Native cultures, honor our natural world and create a highly interactive environment for visitors.”
Fischer – who learned to weld to copper from his grandfather and has worked as a full-time artist for 30 years – says he drew inspiration for the piece from aspen trees, which he says speak with each other through their root systems.
The piece will be a grouping of copper aspens that represent Wisconsin’s First Nations and form a dome by recreating the supporting posts used to build traditional Great Lakes homes.
Each pole will have cultural patterns associated with the Wisconsin tribes.
“Inside the dwelling, there will be 13 large stones arranged in a circular design on the ground to represent the 13 squares, called scutes, found on every turtle shell,” said Fischer. “Many Indigenous people consider a turtle’s shell to be a representation of the lunar calendar, which has 13 full moons in a year.
“Turtles also have 28 tiny square shells – the same number of days between each full moon – around the perimeter of their shell. Knowing this, I plan to incorporate 28 smaller stones around the structure’s outer edge. My hope is that these stones will serve as a place for children to sit for storytelling.”
Fischer has been involved in art projects with the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, Oneida Nation Museum, UW-Madison, the Smithsonian Museum of Contemporary Native American Art and the Indian Community School in Milwaukee, where he was president for three years.
“Mark’s profound connection to the land and dedication to sharing Native American heritage makes him the perfect artist for this installation,” said MPM Manager of Tribal Relations James Flores.
“Mark’s vision beautifully intertwines the cultural significance of the tribes in Wisconsin with the natural beauty of our environment. This installation will not only be a striking piece of art, but a powerful educational tool that will teach Museum visitors about the rich traditions, history and resilience of Wisconsin tribes.”
You can learn more about Fischer at turtleclanart.com, and there’s more information about the Future Museum at mpm.edu/future.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
