Collection Cards: Places
This work of art celebrates the importance of water towers to many Midwestern prairie towns.
What makes this sculpture look like a water tower?
What details make it look like an imaginary water tower?
Water towers create pressure to circulate a town’s water supply, making them very important to homes and farms. Although water towers are common landmarks in rural Kansas, they are also important to cities. The artist used many precious materials to build this sculpture, including sterling silver, gold, pearls, and mahogany wood.
What is an important landmark in your community?
If you made a sculpture of that landmark, what materials would you use?
Spencer Museum of Art Highlights
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
Empowerment
Fabricated by hand, this work pays homage to the many water towers that dot the Midwestern landscape. Water towers circulate a town’s water supply, making them essential to communities. Richard Mawdsley based this form on a standing cup, a luxury item of the late European Renaissance (1520–1600). This sculpture is rich in tiny, handcrafted details, including an air-raid siren, Christian crosses, a fire extinguisher, and a tiny crate of church organ pipes.
Empowerment
Fabricated by hand, this work pays homage to the many water towers that dot the Midwestern landscape. Water towers circulate a town’s water supply, making them essential to communities. Mawdsley based this form on a standing cup, a luxury item of the late European Renaissance (1520–1600). This sculpture is rich in tiny, handcrafted details, including an air-raid siren, Christian crosses, a fire extinguisher, and a tiny crate of church organ pipes.
The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists
Fabricated entirely by hand, this work pays homage to the many water towers that dot the Midwestern prairie landscape. The primary role of a 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 Richard Mawdsley’s Water Tower suggests the importance of this rural monument. At the same time, the base of the tower is littered with trash. A visual tension is created between the water tower as a symbol of small-town civic achievement and as a forgotten urban monument.
Mawdsley also incorporated a range of religious imagery 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. Mawdsley based the work’s form on a standing cup, a footed vessel that represented a high-point of luxury during the late Renaissance.
The Power of Place: KU Alumni Artists
Fabricated entirely by hand, this work pays homage to the many water towers that dot the Midwestern prairie landscape. The primary role of a 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 Richard Mawdsley’s Water Tower suggests the importance of this rural monument. At the same time, the base of the tower is littered with trash. A visual tension is created between the water tower as a symbol of small-town civic achievement and as a forgotten urban monument.
Mawdsley also incorporated a range of religious imagery 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. Mawdsley based the work’s form on a standing cup, a footed vessel that represented a high-point of luxury during the late Renaissance.
The Object Speaks
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 objects 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.
Google Art Project
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
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.
