-Tank and Cannon- mechanical bank c. 1920

Curator: Here we have the "-Tank and Cannon- mechanical bank," dating back to around 1920, currently residing here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's quite a piece of history, an assemblage primarily composed of metal. Editor: Immediately, there’s something disarmingly whimsical about it. All that cold, hard metal shaped into something that was intended to receive… spare change. And is it supposed to have some sort of action to it? Like the coin somehow makes the tank "fire?" Curator: Precisely! It's a wonderful object, really. The way the makers used industrial materials for something playful intended for the home and, probably for kids. Reflects this very specific historical moment, after the war when these machines of war, were also sort of normalized and integrated into popular culture, like with toys or money saving devices. Editor: It makes me consider childhood during the interwar period… the innocence tinged with awareness of global conflict. Curator: Absolutely. Consider how that tank is fabricated— likely by low-wage laborers—juxtapose it against the purpose. Children literally feeding into the machine, this object that simultaneously evokes saving, aspiration, and a kind of military prowess. I also think it would be interesting to think about whether children played differently with this object, understanding more, or less, than we might about its militaristic imagery, Editor: It strikes me, looking at the wear and texture, that each one of these was different – a world away from mass-produced plastic toys of today, so you think this "coin slot warfare," actually resonated in a deep way in their games, given recent realties. Curator: Interesting perspective. The artist who fabricated this bank likely engaged directly with the post-war socio-economic dynamics by producing, reproducing and giving value and accessibility to its militaristic shape. Editor: Definitely food for thought. This whimsical piece becomes rather sobering upon closer inspection. Curator: Indeed, and that intersection is key to its continuing resonance. Editor: I can't say I'll ever look at a piggy bank the same way.