''Float'' 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 Peter Flanary located on the campus of the

University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee The University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee (UW–Milwaukee, UWM, or Milwaukee) is a public urban research university in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. It is the largest university in the Milwaukee metropolitan area and a member of the University of Wiscons ...

in front of Sandburg Hall,http://www4.uwm.edu which is in

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 is ...

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 ...

, United States.

Description

The sculpture is nestled into a deep ravine and takes advantage of the topography of the land. ''Float'' plays with the weight of materials and combines a

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 such ...

structure of a canoe with the heavy

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained (phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies undergro ...

stone. The piece is approximately 15 feet high and barely rises to the level of the sidewalk leading to Sandburg Hall.http://www.merchantcircle.com/business/Peter.Flanary.Studio.608-987-460 ''Float'' was purchased with $25,000 that was set aside for artwork during the building of Sandburg Hall. The artist originally meant for the piece to feature a cart with an anvil on top and a star reigning over. Sandburg Hall's architect thought that this design demonstrated a communist ideal and forced Flanary to come up with something else. ''Float'' is currently property of the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee and its students.

Artist

Peter Flanary grew up in the Milwaukee area, and currently has a studio in

Mineral Point, Wisconsin Mineral Point is a city in Iowa County, Wisconsin, Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 2,581 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. The city is located within the Mineral Point (town), Wisconsin, Town of Mineral Point ...

.
Flanary website. Peter Flanary created ''Float'' in his studio. He was a part-time lecturer in the art department at the

University of Wisconsin-Madison A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, UW Madison. His work frequently incorporates rocks and other environmental objects. His creation process is rarely direct in that "He tries to grasp the space in its complexity and wants to create something that can be remarked on by people." "He likes material and form and works to have his piece support and work in its environment, growing out of, rather than intruding into the landscape."

References

External links

*'' Bay View Series'' *'' Walk Like a River''
Photo of ''Bay View Series'' sculpture by FlanaryAdditional photo of ''Float''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Float (Sculpture) Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee 1990 sculptures