(spirited music) (spirited music continues) - [Narrator] Outside of Milwaukee's historic City Hall, this sculpture stands on the northeast corner of Wells and Water.

You might've seen this sculpture on your way to a concert at the Pabst or a show at the Rep and thought to yourself, "What is that?"

(spirited music) (inquisitive music) (inquisitive music continues) It's called "Mixed Feelings."

It resembles a lot of things and everyone sees something different.

- [Reporter] What does this sculpture look like to you?

- Like a giant water spout.

- I think it looks like a more solid form of air.

- I think it looks like melting pennies, - [Narrator] But what is it really?

It's not anything tangible, but rather the intertwining of two bronze towers as they push and pull apart as they spiral towards the sky.

- So, "Mixed Feelings" is a bronze sculpture that was originally part of our inaugural exhibition at Sculpture Milwaukee in 2017, and this idea that your observation of seeing almost these two vortexes that are kind of swirling, and intertwining, and separating, and rising, in some ways, the perspective on that might be that these are these mixed feelings, these different entities, these different feelings, energies, emotions that are coming together and separating and having this, like, interplay.

- [Narrator] It was made by internationally renowned artist, Tony Cragg.

Cragg began his career as an engineer, but quickly transitioned to the arts.

He went on to study sculpture at the Royal College of Art in London.

Since then, he's developed a signature style to his sculptures.

- Tony Cragg, a lot of his work as an artist is informed by these ideas of being an engineer and thinking from kind of a outside of art perspective, but bringing that into art.

Now, this piece is unique, but you know, there's a style that you can recognize Tony's work, and he's worked in all kinds of materials, whether it be stone, or wood, or metal like ours here.

He's a very established artist, having shown and has work all over the globe, so this piece, "Mixed Feelings," kind of also brings us into a conversation with many other sites, and cities, and communities throughout the world.

(graceful music) - We're used to seeing construction equipment outside of Milwaukee City Hall, aren't we, but the crane there today is installing a permanent piece of artwork.

- Yeah, the piece called "Mixed Feelings" is a part of Sculpture Milwaukee.

- An anonymous donor paid an undisclosed amount of money to gift this sculpture to the city.

- There was an anonymous patron who wanted to have a permanent site for this piece in Milwaukee, that it was in a prominent place that helped to show Milwaukee's deserving of a really prominent international sculpture, and they actually have a endowment that helps to pay for the cleaning and polishing of the piece every year and make sure that we're good stewards of Tony's piece and that it's well presented to the public.

(inquisitive music) I think it's a testament to the downtown community and the patrons and the businesses of Milwaukee that they want to have world-class art in public space for all Milwaukeeans, so what better symbol of that than at the doorstep of the mayor's office?

(inquisitive music) - [Narrator] Thanks for watching "The Arts Page."

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