There are Rivers

Ft. Wayne Museum of Art

Flowing from the north

An encounter from the south

Meeting at a summit, transforming to one

Gathering strength, a fluid birth

We witness her journey

Toward the east

And beyond

Concept and Composition

Ft. Wayne is at the confluence of three rivers. The Saint Joseph River flows from the north, meeting the Saint Mary's River, which flows from the south. At Ft. Wayne, these two rivers meet, combine, and create a third river, the Maumee.

Many cultures around the world have recognized the importance of waterways for both travel and sustenance. In respect for, in appreciation of, and at times due to myths passed from generation to generation, a "spirit" is often associated with significant rivers.

This composition depicts the head of a figure emerging from a floating pool carved in stone. Perforated layers of anodized aluminum imagery illustrate the sculpture itself. Patterned within the inner layers of this sculpture is a spiraling vortex, which speaks of the three rivers' focused energy. The interior layers contain words and images pertaining to the three rivers themselves. Those words are the Miami names of the rivers. These are the St. Joseph, "Kociihsasiipi," the St. Mary's, "Nameewa Siipiiwi," and the Maumee, "Taawaawa Siipiiwi." These words recognize the indigenous peoples that first settled, occupied, and named these flowing waters.

This rising head is looking upward toward an image of the three rivers that gather life from this prominent visage. The symbolic rivers are depicted as layers of aluminum the color of turquoise and blues. They flow as one but separate and are distinct in their own determinations and ancient course. Their fluidity is portrayed by this undulating universal serpentine image.

Dale Enochs