''On Watch'' is a public artwork by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

artist David M. Wanner located at the Fire and Police Safety Academy, which is in

Milwaukee, Wisconsin 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 i ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

. The life-size

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids suc ...

sculpture depicts a police officer and a fire fighter both holding a rescued child.

Description

''On Watch'' is a life-size bronze sculpture consisting of three figures. A Caucasian policeman and an African-American firefighter stand back-to-back holding a child wrapped in a blanket. The inscription on the southwest corner of the sculpture reads: WANNER 90. The inscription on the northwest corner reads: WACO FDR. There is a bronze plaque on the concrete base which reads: On Watch/ Dedicated to the guardians of public safety in the city of Milwaukee John Norquist, mayor Milwaukee Art Commission, David M. Wanner Sculptor 1990.
SIRIS. The work is administered by the City of Milwaukee.

Historical information

In 1972-73 the city of Milwaukee converted Madonna High School into a modern training academy for the city's policemen and firemen. The new building qualified for Milwaukee's

Percent for Art The term percent for art refers to a program, often a city ordinance, where a fee, usually some percentage of the project cost, is placed on large scale development projects in order to fund and install public art. The details of such programs va ...

program, therefore two competitions were held by the Milwaukee Arts Commission to choose a sculpture for the site. After the first competition's results were announced, the artists involved complained of changes in guidelines and favoritism. A second competition was thus held. David M. Wanner won the second competition and the $33,000 commission.Buck, Diane M. and Virginia A. Palmer (1995). ''Outdoor Sculpture in Milwaukee: A Cultural and Historical Guidebook'', p. 150. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison The three bronze figures were cast in thirteen pieces and then welded together. They were set on concrete foundations, which go 4 1/2 ft. underground. "Wanner wanted to subtly represent the fire fighter as a black minority- either a man or woman; however, the bronze casting by a local industrial foundry blurred the desired nuance."

Artist

David M. Wanner was a Catholic priest as a young man and participated in the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

. He received a PhD in Fine Arts and Sculpture in 1976 from the Union Institute in Cincinnati, and an MA in Systematic Technology in 1973 from

Marquette University Marquette University () is a private Jesuit research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Established by the Society of Jesus as Marquette College on August 28, 1881, it was founded by John Martin Henni, the first Bishop of the diocese of ...

in Milwaukee. He has worked in sculpture and design since 1968. Wanner founded Wanner Sculpture Studio in 1970 in Milwaukee, where he works with his son Jordan Wanner. The sculptor is inspired by his faith as well as the work of other artists. "The sculptural style of David and Jordan is rooted in the contemporary European tradition of sculpture, as exemplified in the works of Meštrović, Bourdelli, Rodin, Barlach, Kolbe, Marcks, and others."
Wanner Studio Website. He currently works on both private commissions and ecclesiastical sculptures.

References

{{MilwaukeePublicArt 1990s establishments in Wisconsin 1990 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Wisconsin Monuments and memorials in Wisconsin Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee Sculptures of African Americans Sculptures of children in Wisconsin Sculptures of men in Wisconsin Statues in Wisconsin