Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5, Richard Mawdsley

Artwork Overview

Richard Mawdsley, Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5
Richard Mawdsley, Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5
Richard Mawdsley
Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5
1995–1999
Richard Mawdsley, artist
born 1945
Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5, 1995–1999
Where object was made: United States
Material/technique: pearls; rhodium plating; mahogany; sterling silver; gold plating
Dimensions:
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 56.5 x 33 x 28.5 cm
Object Height/Width/Depth (Height x Width x Depth): 22 1/4 x 13 x 11 1/4 in
Credit line: Museum purchase: Peter T. Bohan Art Acquisition Fund
Accession number: 2000.0120
On display: Michaelis Gallery
Add to portfolio

If you wish to reproduce this image, please submit an image request

Images

Label texts

Archive Label 2003:
This work is the culmination of a series of water towers created by the artist. Fabricated entirely by hand, it pays homage to the many water towers that dot the midwestern prairie landscape. The primary role of the water tower is to create pressure to circulate a town’s water supply, making the tower the heart of its community. The richly detailed surface of the object suggests the importance of this rural monument. At the same time, the base of the tower is littered with trash. The viewer is reminded that water towers are also a part of city landscapes. A visual tension is created between the water tower as a representative of small-town civic achievement and as a forgotten urban monument.

The artist also incorporated a range of religious images into this piece. The pipes of an organ, Christian crosses, and church tower bells serve as symbols for various people and events from the artist’s life. He was also influenced by the pervasiveness of religion that he observed while teaching in Cortona, Italy. Mawdsley based the form of the water tower on a vessel known as a standing cup. This footed vessel reached a high point of sumptuousness during the late Renaissance. The largely decorative function of the standing cup challenged the metalsmith’s creative and technical skills.

Exhibitions

Conversation XIV: Water
Kris Ercums, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
2013
Teaching Gallery: 4th Grade Tour
2013
Conversation XIX: Phases: Multinational Works, 1900 to Now
Susan Earle, curator
2014–2015
Google Art Project
2016
The Object Speaks
Cassandra Mesick Braun, curator
Kate Meyer, curator
Celka Straughn, curator
2016–2021
The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists
Susan Earle, curator
2019
The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists
Susan Earle, curator
2019
Power of Poetry
2019
Empowerment
Susan Earle, curator
Celka Straughn, curator
Kristina Walker, curator
Angela Watts, curator
2022–2027
Power of Place
Susan Earle, curator
2020
Empowerment
Susan Earle, curator
Celka Straughn, curator
Kristina Walker, curator
Angela Watts, curator
2022–2027

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
Episode 2. I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. Dating to the 1990s, Alpha-Omega: Water Tower #5, is a finely crafted sculpture made of sterling silver, gold and rhodium plating, pearls and mahogany. The piece pays homage to the monumental water towers that dot the Midwestern prairie. The Kansas prairie in particular inspired the work’s creator, renowned metalsmith Richard Mawdsley, who was born in Winfield and earned a Master of Fine Arts degree at the University of Kansas. His twenty-two inch tall sculpture overflows with dazzlingly crafted miniature elements that suggest various narratives. Some details relate to big ideas, such as the community spirit of small-town America, where water towers remain civic monuments, binding the town together. Others are more autobiographical, including the tiny crate of organ pipes that recall Mawdsley’s grandmother. Additional elements include Christian crosses, faucets, roof tiles, and a fire plug. Overall, the work is based on a standing cup, a late Renaissance vessel considered a signifier of the owner’s wealth and status, and a showcase for the metalsmith’s skills. With thanks to Susan Earle for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Audio Tour – Bulldog Podcast
Hear a SWMS student's perspective.
Audio Tour – Bulldog Art Tour
Hear a SWMS student's perspective.
Audio Tour – Bulldog Art Tour
Listen to a poem about by anonymous
Audio Tour - Power of Poetry
Listen to a poem about by anonymous
Audio Tour - Power of Poetry

Links

Read an article by Richard Mawdsley about his Water Tower series.