Tom Tischler
Marine Madonna, 1986

Bronze
10’ x 9’
Lowry Park Zoo

Tishler’s artwork, which is located just inside the entrance of the Lowry Park Zoo, depicts two life-sized manatees -- a baby calf cuddling its mother, an adult manatee. The continued survival of these gentle creatures, which inhabit Bay area waters, is dependent upon man’s attention to their plight. The manatees are set within a network of bubbling waterspouts, which turn on and off intermittently. These "jumping" spouts dare the viewer to interact more closely with the artwork.