''Woodland Indian and Whistling Swans'' is a bronze sculpture created by American sculptor Marshall Fredericks in 1963. It is located at the

Milwaukee Public Museum The Milwaukee Public Museum (MPM) is a natural and human history museum in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The museum was chartered in 1882 and opened to the public in 1884; it is a not-for-profit organization operated by the Milwaukee Public Mus ...

at 800 West Wells Street,

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, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Description

The ''Woodland Indian and Whistling Swans'' sculpture adorns the south façade of the Milwaukee Public Museum spanning 40 ft x 28 ft x 3 ft. The Native American Indian figure kneels with his arms outstretched, leading the viewers' eye to the prominent flock of four swans above. Architect Theodore Eschweiler (Eschweiler and Eschweiler) commissioned the artist, Marshall Fredericks, to design a sculpture for the museum's new building. The sculpture cost $50,000 and spans the building's facade from the second to fourth floors. A nearby plaque reads:

History

The Milwaukee Public Museum is one of the leading museums of human and natural history as well as the first museum to create full-sized

dioramas A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

. It originally shared a space with Milwaukee Public Library. In 1950 the architectural firm Eschweiler and Eschweiler proposed designs for a new building to house the museum. The building was built in the 1960s when Stephan Borhegyi, then museum director, led the effort to finish the project and incorporate advanced museum theories to the interior spaces. The building's architects commissioned Marshall Fredericks to create a sculpture for the museum's entrance facade. ''Woodland Indian and Whistling Swans'' symbolizes the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes in the mid-east region of North America that connect to the Atlantic Ocean via the Saint Lawrence River. There are five lak ...

area. "A Woodland Indian, ready to release an arrow from his bow, pauses in awe before the beauty of nature as seen in the flight of swans."Buck, Diane M. and Virginia A. Palmer (1995). ''Outdoor Sculpture in Milwaukee: A Cultural and Historical Guidebook'', p. 64. The State Historical Society of Wisconsin, Madison Although Fredericks was paid $50,000 for the artwork, the mounting of the work was problematic because of the sculpture's weight and size. The city had to negotiate with contractors before the sculpture was finally installed.

Owner

It is administered by Milwaukee County, Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture.

Condition

The work is well maintained, although there is some green patina.

References

{{MilwaukeePublicArt 1963 establishments in Wisconsin 1963 sculptures Sculptures of birds in Wisconsin Bronze sculptures in Wisconsin Landmarks in Wisconsin Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee Sculptures of men in Wisconsin Sculptures of Native Americans in Wisconsin Statues in Wisconsin Sculptures by Marshall Fredericks Swans in art