Downtown Whitewater has announced that two new public art pieces have been installed to welcome people into the city on Whitewater’s east side.
The two pieces, “Ascent and Bloom” by Richard Tayler of Milwaukee, were made possible via a donation from Fort Community Credit Union. The sculptures will be dedicated on Wednesday, June 28 at 5:30 p.m.
Each Sculpture draws on the past, present and future of the community. Images of the Esterly Reaper factory, agricultural plowing patterns and native birds are among the images that are featured.
Taylor received assistance from Carol Cartwright and the Whitewater Historical Society while researching the area.
“My approach to the gateway sculptures was, first, to use abstract tree compositions,” Taylor said. “Rusted steel seemed appropriate for the material, as it is very durable, has an organic look to it and requires no maintenance. I tried to unify these symbols not only by their placement near one another, but by a subtle theme of arcs flowing through the artwork, like water flowing in the river.”
The pieces are topped by two iconic Whitewater images, one being the bell in front of the Municipal Center, and the other of the stars from the flag in the Historical society.
