-Domed Bank c. 1899 - 1934

Curator: What a curious little architectural marvel. This sculpture, titled -Domed Bank, was made by the A.C. Williams Company sometime between 1899 and 1934. It’s currently held here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: You know, looking at it, the first thing that springs to mind is a miniature fortress of fiscal responsibility. There's something simultaneously playful and serious about it. Like, are we saving for a rainy day or preparing for the apocalypse? Curator: Absolutely. Consider the architectural style. The dome atop the structure has a strong classical association evoking images of permanence and established institutions, principles, and ideologies, such as democracy, knowledge, religion, justice, stability, etc. But the fact that it's made of metal, a rather industrial material for the time, hints at a modern shift in what these institutions were starting to look like. Editor: That's a clever observation. So it's not just a bank, it's a symbolic intersection of the old world and the burgeoning new. It almost feels prophetic. The windows have a vacancy with a slight emptiness as though it's looking over something. It evokes a sense of curiosity in me; it's like there's a story waiting to be told with all of those open little square spaces. Curator: Precisely. Also, given its form and function, think about the psychological impact it could have on a child, which was likely its intended user. Saving becomes an almost sacred act when framed within such an authoritative form. Editor: Haha, yes. Instead of just chucking coins into a piggy bank, you're essentially making deposits into the First National Pantheon. It adds a sense of ritual and even perhaps reverence to the act of saving, transforming pocket money into a miniature civic duty. Curator: Exactly. This "Domed Bank" serves as an insightful artifact in which its imagery transmits cultural values related to the transition into the modern age, making it an extraordinary conversation starter in any space. Editor: What a curious lens to consider wealth and modern anxieties. Next time I struggle to save, I will try and think back to this little symbolic powerhouse, thanks for a curious tour!