''Tending the Fire'' 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 produced by MJM Studios located on the south 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 ...

in 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 ...

. The bronze sculpture depicts a Native American figure seated near a small fire.

Description

The figure has a bare torso and wears fringed pants. His hair is parted in the center, and two long braids reach down across his chest. Three

eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

feathers extend from the back of his head, two facing upward and one facing downward. He is seated on the ground with his legs crossed in front of him. His back is curved forward. Both arms rest across his ankles. In one hand, he holds a twig toward the fire. His gaze is directed toward the space above the fire, which is an arrangement of logs that radiate outward from a center point and flames that reach skyward in a

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

ical form.

Commissioning process

The Potawatomi Historical and Cultural Board commissioned MJM Studios to produce the sculpture for the new Potawatomi Bingo Casino in 2000. The sculpture recognizes the Potawatomi tribe's heritage as "keepers of the sacred fire," a role derived from Neshnabé legend.Edmunds, R. David (1988). ''The Potawatomis: Keepers of the Fire.'' Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press (Civilization of the American Indian Series). The design of the sculpture is based on archival photographs.

Location

MJM Studios produced two ''Tending the Fire'' statues. One is installed in front of the main entrance to the casino, and the other is installed at the administrative office on S. 13th St. and St. Paul Ave.

References

{{MilwaukeePublicArt 2000 establishments in Wisconsin 2000 sculptures Bronze sculptures in Wisconsin Outdoor sculptures in Milwaukee Sculptures of men in Wisconsin Sculptures of Native Americans Statues in Wisconsin