A Place to Sit, Public art installation on Hank Aaron State Trail, Milwaukee, United States
A Place to Sit is a public sculpture consisting of several high-back chairs positioned along the southern bank of the Menomonee River on the Hank Aaron State Trail. The pieces are arranged to offer visitors seating while framing views of the river and surrounding landscape.
The installation was created by artist Kathryn E. Martin and completed in 2009 through a selection process sponsored by the Friends of the Hank Aaron State Trail. This marked an important moment in bringing public art to the region's trail system.
The chairs honor Native American communities who once gathered in this valley to harvest wild rice from the waters. Sitting here places you in a space of historical gathering and traditional resource use.
The artwork sits along the Hank Aaron State Trail and is freely accessible to all trail users, whether walking or cycling. It makes a natural stopping point where you can rest and take in the surroundings without needing to leave the path.
This was artist Martin's first major outdoor installation, merging practical furniture with storytelling through art in an unexpected way. The chairs remain exposed to the elements year-round, so their appearance shifts with weather and seasons in ways that become part of the artwork itself.
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