''A Place to Sit'' is a public artwork by American artist Kathryn E. Martin, located along the Art Look of the

Hank Aaron State Trail The Hank Aaron State Trail is a rail trail in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The trail is named after former Milwaukee Braves and Milwaukee Brewers right fielder Hank Aaron and is built on a former roadbed of the Milwaukee Road. , according to ...

, situated on the south side of the

Menomonee River :''See also Menominee River'' The Menomonee River is one of three primary rivers in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, along with the Kinnickinnic River and Milwaukee River. Description Named after the Menomonee (also spelled Menominee) Indians, the word w ...

, in the city 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 ...

Milwaukee County, Wisconsin Milwaukee County is located in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. At the 2020 census, the population was 939,489, down from 947,735 in 2010. It is both the most populous and most densely populated county in Wisconsin, and the 45th most populous cou ...

., Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. The work was dedicated on October 8, 2009.
Schumacher Journal Sentinel.

Historical information

''A Place to Sit'' is a site-specific public artwork located in the

art loop. It consists of high-back chairs on which you can actually sit. "kathryn e. martin was selected for this installation through a Request for Proposal and juried process by the Art Committee of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail." "The high-back chairs of ''A Place to Sit'' honor the spirit and people of Wisconsin's American Indian tribes." Before the onset of industry and European settlement, the

Menomonee Valley The Menomonee Valley or Menomonee River Valley is a U-shaped land formation along the southern bend of the Menomonee River in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Because of its easy access to Lake Michigan and other waterways, the neighborhood has historically ...

was a vast marsh that extended from Lake Michigan to

Miller Park American Family Field is a retractable roof stadium used primarily for baseball. It is located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, just southwest of the intersection of Interstate 94 and Brewers Boulevard. It is the home of Major League Baseball's Milwauk ...

. This was fertile ground for the harvesting of wild rice by American Indians. On an annual basis, various tribes came together peacefully to harvest

rice Rice is the seed of the grass species '' Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice) or less commonly ''Oryza glaberrima'' (African rice). The name wild rice is usually used for species of the genera '' Zizania'' and '' Porteresia'', both wild and domesticat ...

, to carry them through the long winter. The arrival of Europeans disrupted Native American life. As Europeans began to settle in the area, American Indians were displaced and the marsh was filled to provide land for industry. Local historian

John Gurda John Gurda (born 9 June 1947 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is an American writer and historian. Gurda's book, ''The Making of Milwaukee'', was turned into an Emmy Award-winning documentary series by Milwaukee PBS. He is an eight-time winner of the Wis ...

describes the turmoil as a "game of musical chairs. In the end, it was the Indians who had nowhere to sit."

Location history

''A Place to Sit'' was made specifically for the Art Loop of the Hank Aaron State Trail thanks to Melissa Cook,

Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) is a government agency of the U.S. state of Wisconsin charged with conserving and managing Wisconsin's natural resources. The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board has the authority to set policy ...

manager of the Valley's Hank Aaron State Trail, and Annemarie Sawkins, chair of the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail public art committee
Christiansen Journal Sentinel.

Artist

kathryn e. martin is an instructor at 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 ...

(UWM) where she teaches to Foundation and upper level Sculpture students. martin, who does not capitalize her name, received a BFA in Sculpture and Art History from MIAD, and an MA and MFA from UWM in InterMedia Studies. This was her first permanent, public sculpture.
martin website. She is also known under the name Katie Martin-Meurer.UWM Directory
Faculty & Staff Directory, Katie Martin-Meurer, accessed 6-23-2019

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Place To Sit Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee 2009 sculptures