The ''Dauntless Guardian'' is a

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

work by American artist Jeune Nowak Wussow, located on the northwest side of

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

. The bronze figurative sculpture depicts a child being rescued by a firefighter. It is located at 4141 West Mill Road at

Milwaukee Fire Department The Milwaukee Fire Department provides fire protection and emergency medical services to the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The department is responsible for an area of with a population of 594,833. It is the largest fire department in the Stat ...

Engine Company #9.

Description

The firefighter is depicted wearing a uniform and helmet. He reaches up with both arms to lift a small child from a windowsill. The child grasps the windowsill with one hand and reaches toward the fireman with the other.

Historical information

Wussow was awarded the commission for ''Dauntless Guardian'' after competing unsuccessfully for a previous City of Milwaukee Percent for Art commission opportunity. According to the ''

Milwaukee Journal The ''Milwaukee Journal Sentinel'' is a daily morning broadsheet printed in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where it is the primary newspaper. It is also the largest newspaper in the state of Wisconsin, where it is widely distributed. It is currently o ...

'', Alderman James Kondziella kept Wussow's

maquette A ''maquette'' (French word for scale model, sometimes referred to by the Italian names ''plastico'' or ''modello'') is a scale model or rough draft of an unfinished sculpture. An equivalent term is ''bozzetto'', from the Italian word for "sketc ...

on his desk at City Hall following the first competition and recommended her when his district was building a new fire station. Wussow was inspired to create ''Dauntless Guardian'' after talking with firefighters about their jobs as she "went from one station house to another." The sculpture was dedicated on October 8, 1984.

References

{{MilwaukeePublicArt 1984 establishments in Wisconsin 1984 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Wisconsin Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee Sculptures of children in Wisconsin Sculptures of men in Wisconsin Statues in Wisconsin