Laumeier Sculpture Park in Sunset Hills in St. Louis County, Missouri — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Marie Watt (American, Born 1967)
Earthmover, 2014
— bronze, rubber; dimensions variable —
Courtesy the artist, PDX Contemporary Art and the Greg Kucera Gallery
Commissioned for the exhibition Mound City
Born to the son of Wyoming ranchers and a daughter of the Turtle Clan of the Seneca Nation (Iroquois/Haudenosaunee), Watt identifies herself as "half Cowboy and half Indian." Watt's Earthmover, 2014, commemorates the tools for the movement of earth to create the great mounds at Cahokia. The two sculptural elements that make up Earthmover are inspired by the human agency for the displacement of earth as ritual. A partially buried, recycled mega-mining creates a monumental rubber archway. It is believed that the Cahokians hauled 50-60 pounds of earth at a time to mound construction sites. In sharp contrast, the work also includes a stool, an inverted bronze cast of a burden basket, used by the laborers at Cahokia, designed as a rest spot. Burden baskets were shaped to conform to the back of the bearer; a strap was attached that looped from the bottom of the basket around the wearer's forehead to help support the heavy load.
Sculpture Interaction Guideline: Sit, But Do Not Climb
Erected by St. Louis County Parks & Recreation.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology
this page online
Location. 38° 32.9′ N, 90° 24.913′ W. Marker is in Sunset Hills, Missouri, in St. Louis County. It is in Laumeier Sculpture Park. Marker can be reached from Rott Road east of South Geyer Road, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 12638 Rott Rd, Saint Louis MO 63127, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Robert Stackhouse (American, born 1942) (a few steps from this marker); Tony Tasset (American, born 1960) (within shouting distance of this marker); Laumeier Sculpture Park (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sol Lewitt (American, 1928-2007) (about 400 feet away); Ernest Trova (American, 1927-2009) (about 400 feet away); Isaac Witkin (American born South Africa, 1936-2006) (about 400 feet away); Pearl Fryar (American, 1939) (about 600 feet away); Healing (about 700 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sunset Hills.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 28, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 55 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 28, 2023, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
