Mary Miss is known for her innovative site-specific installations that engage with the environment and raise awareness about ecological issues. Twenty years ago, Miss played a major role in designing the Milwaukee Riverwalk in the Historic Third Ward, with the goal of making residents more connected to their natural water resources. Her project for Sculpture Milwaukee, WaterMarks: An Atlas of Water for the City of Milwaukee, exemplifies her commitment to creating art that fosters a deeper understanding of the relationship between humans and their surroundings.

As the world’s freshwater capital, Milwaukee sits on the western shore of the world’s fifth-largest freshwater lake and the confluence of three rivers: the Milwaukee, the Kinnickinnic, and the Menomonee. By bringing attention to the city’s often unseen or overlooked water systems, WaterMarks is a city-wide initiative that prompts viewers to consider their own role in preserving and protecting these resources for future generations. Through a combination of Miss’s conceptual framing and sculptural markers, as well as works by local artists and interactive community involvement, WaterMarks invites viewers to engage with the artwork and learn about water’s history, use, and civil management. It encourages a sense of stewardship and responsibility for preserving and conserving water in the urban environment at a time when many metropolitan areas globally face water scarcity.

This WaterMarker is part of a network that will appear in communities throughout Milwaukee in the coming years.