EQUITY FOUNTAIN

Location: Hill Park, Helena, Montana
Client: Equity Fountain Project
Collaborator: Michael Stutz (sculptor)

In 2017, the City of Helena removed a fountain that was dedicated in 1916, the only monument to the Confederacy located in the Northwestern United States. The old fountain was commissioned by a chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.  In its place, a new fountain has been commissioned.

After ascending three steps, visitors enter a welcoming space surrounded by trees that reflect the cycles of nature. Their eyes are captivated by a glimmering sphere that seemingly floats above the rippling water of a fountain. Visitors can reach out and touch the refreshing water that flows over the circular face of a granite millstone.  Found in diverse cultures across the world, the millstone evokes a deep sense of history, embodying integrity and dignity predicated on industriousness and steadfastness. Words in English and a Native American language are "woven" into a sphere, to remind people that all of us—interconnected—must be steadfast like a turning millstone in ensuring that society is guided by the ideals of equality, diversity, respect, generosity, compassion, tolerance, peace, and justice.