Harvester KC
Owner: United Missouri Bancshares, Inc.
Artist: Nancy Graves
Dates: Commissioned 1986, Installed 1987
Medium: Bronze, stainless steel (sculpture), black granite (base)
Description:
At the UMB Headquarters in downtown Kansas City, there is an open-air courtyard that is accessible from the corner of 11th Street and Walnut Street. In the middle of the courtyard is this large sculpture by artist Nancy Graves. The sculpture is approximately 18 feet tall and 10 feet in diameter and it sits atop a base made from polished black granite.
The sculpture depicts items, such as vegetation and artifacts, that are particular to the midwestern United States. The various items depicted include corn, wheat, sunflowers, a windmill, tractor parts, and a rake and are made out of both bronze and stainless steel. A canopy of maple and bloodroot leaves is perched atop sheets of metal representing lakes and streams. One side of the canopy is lined with 18-inch ears of corn while another is lined with wheat. A river and a sickle bar reach vertically from the base to the canopy. A windmill and sunflowers sit atop the base.
In front of the sculpture is a fountain feature that has fourteen small water jets in the pavement. Water spurts up two to three feet from each jet and drains back through the pavement squares.
