-Time is Money- still bank c. 1909 - 1931

Curator: So, here we have the still bank entitled "-Time is Money-", thought to be crafted sometime between 1909 and 1931 by the A.C. Williams Company. It resides in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It's made from metal and functions as both a decorative object and a functional bank, taking the form of a clock. What's your first take? Editor: It's wonderfully quaint, isn't it? Like a dusty relic unearthed from a grandparent's attic, yet strangely assertive with its message, prompting reflections on how we're always counting down and weighing our moments against the scale of wealth. Curator: Yes, there’s a clear visual strategy at play, layering signs and symbols related to the concepts of time and currency. It merges utilitarian purpose with symbolic weight, using this object as a vessel for savings and for illustrating moral instruction. We must be very careful and treat time with a special purpose if we don't want it to slip from our hands! Editor: I love the circular form, that gilded surface pitted with age! It reminds me of these cyclical ideas. It is interesting how the design creates an infinite loop linking temporality with commerce. The question lingers if this piece invites us to either liberate ourselves from or more deeply enmesh ourselves in this equation? Curator: It could be argued that this small sculpture encourages fiscal discipline and plays on anxieties related to money; this clock face and form is an accessible everyday object, easily assimilated and appealing. Editor: And that cheeky loop at the top – ready to be hung! Almost begging for prominence in our daily lives, right there on the wall. Such irony, for an object advocating restraint, it's almost impossible to ignore it. Curator: Precisely. What remains powerful to me is how something so small holds within it such a broad reflection on societal values. Editor: Yes, and this piece transforms our own present moment into an opportunity to rethink our perspectives and, well, perhaps consider it the perfect time to revisit how we choose to spend both our time and our money.