Germantown Indigenous artist Mark Fischer of the Oneida Nation has been selected to design and create an outdoor art installation at the new Milwaukee Public Museum.
The piece, titled The Gathering Place, will be in the shape of a dome and made primarily of copper. With key symbolism embedded throughout, the work will serve as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Native American tribes in Wisconsin.
“I am incredibly proud to be trusted with creating such a meaningful piece of art,” Fischer said. “I feel a special connection to this land and am truly honored to create an iconic piece of art for this centuries-old gathering place to celebrate Native cultures, honor our natural world and create a highly interactive environment for visitors.”
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Originally from Milwaukee, Fischer learned about welding copper from his grandfather. He has worked as a full-time artist for the past 30 years, previously working on projects with the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, Oneida Nation Museum, the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Smithsonian Museum of Contemporary Native American Art and Milwaukee’s Indian Community School, where he served as president for three years.
Fischer’s art installation will take inspiration from aspen trees, which he said speak with each other, much like humans, through their root systems. Fischer will create a group of aspen trees made of copper to represent Wisconsin’s First Nations. The trees will form the exterior of the dome and will be arranged to visually mimic the support poles seen in a traditional Great Lakes home. Each of the poles will be adorned with welded-on, cultural patterns affiliated with each tribe of Wisconsin.
“Mark’s profound connection to the land and dedication to sharing Native American heritage makes him the perfect artist for this installation,” Milwaukee Public Museum Manager of Tribal Relations James Flores said. “Mark’s vision beautifully intertwines the cultural significance of the tribes in Wisconsin with the natural beauty of our environment. This installation will not only be a striking piece of art, but a powerful educational tool that will teach museum visitors about the rich traditions, history and resilience of Wisconsin tribes.”
The Milwaukee Public Museum will be relocating from its current location on Wells Street to a newly constructed building on a 2.4-acre site at North Sixth and West McKinley streets in the Haymarket neighborhood adjacent to the Deer District. The design of the new $240 million museum will be reminiscent of the geological formations in Mill Bluff State Park, emblematic of the region’s diversity of landscapes formed by the movements of water through time. The five-story building will be approximately 200,000 square feet, with an additional 50,000-square-foot collections storage building.
The new museum is expected to open in early 2027. A ground-breaking ceremony took place in May.
In addition to the structure’s traditional Great Lakes home-inspired shape, the base of Fischer’s installation will also honor Indigenous symbolism and knowledge in creating a space for gathering and learning. Inside the dwelling, there will be 13 large stones arranged in a circular design to represent the squares, called scutes, found on turtle shells, Fischer said.
“Many Indigenous people consider a turtle’s shell to be a representation of the lunar calendar, which has 13 full moons in a year,” Fischer said. “Turtles also have 28 tiny square shells, the same number of days between each full moon, around the perimeter of their shell. Knowing this, I plan to incorporate 28 smaller stones around the structure’s outer edge. My hope is that these stones will serve as a place for children to sit for storytelling.”
The sculpture will be located in the new museum’s plaza, a green space adjacent to the museum building, and in front of the parking structure. The area will be free and open to the public year-round.
