La Crosse in La Crosse County, Wisconsin — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Dancers
Donna Gerke-Cuta, Artist
December 1, 2024
1. Dancers Marker
Dancers was created by Donna Gerke-Cuta in 2002 under the mentorship of Elmer Peterson and was the first sculpture by a woman in La Crosse. The metalwork was completed by C & C Machine, Inc. This stainless-steel sculpture was donated by Isola Laminate Systems Corp. and City Vision Foundation to the City and placed on a pedestal in the Pump House Regional Arts Center parking lot.
The dancers depict a joyful energy of being alive. Their ribbon shows the ups and downs of life, flowing like the nearby Mississippi River. Gerke-Cuta loved art and taught in several La Crosse schools and contributed artwork in City parks.
Dancers was repainted solid blue and relocated at ground-level outside the Weber Center for the Performing Arts by Luke Achterberg in 2019. Achterberg is a metal sculptor and art instructor who received a Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin La Crosse and a Welding Technical Diploma from Western Technical College. He exhibits work both outdoor and indoor throughout the United States and Switzerland.
Donated by Isola Laminate Systems Corp.
City Vision-2002
Property of the City
this page online
Erected 2002
Relocated 2019
Metalwork by C & C Machine, Inc.
Pedestal by Luke Achterberg
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Arts, Letters, Music • Waterways & Vessels • Women. A significant historical year for this entry is 2002.
Location. 43° 48.595′ N, 91° 15.443′ W. Marker is in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in La Crosse County. It can be reached from the intersection of Front Street South and King Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 428 Front St S, La Crosse WI 54601, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Western Wisconsin. It is also in the American Midwest, in the Corn Belt, in the Driftless Area Bluff Country, and in the Great River Road Region. Globally, it is in North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture and also the Northwest Territory.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Confluence by John Pugh
December 1, 2024
2. Dancers & Marker
Also see . . . Designer of downtown sculpture likes the restoration of it - WIZM 92.3FM 1410AM. (Submitted on January 7, 2025.)
December 1, 2024
3. Dancers & Marker
December 1, 2024
4. Dancers
Credits. This page was last revised on July 26, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 7, 2025. This page has been viewed 242 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 7, 2025.
