Tulip to Life is a public artwork formerly located on the grounds of the Indiana Government Center South in Indianapolis, but which now rests in storage. The functional sculpture is a drinking fountain made of stainless steel in the shape of a tulip tree leaf. Designed by Eric Ernstberger of Muncie, Indiana and fabricated by Tarpenning-LaFollette of Indianapolis, Indiana, the sculpture was installed in 1991 and was removed in 2014 due to physical deterioration.  It is unclear whether it will be repaired and returned to its site.

The sculpture depicts an over-sized leaf of the American tulip tree, Indiana’s state tree. The sculpture consists of two main segments: the leaf, which forms the main body and majority of the piece, and the petiole-and-bowl segment, which houses the drinking fountain. Measured diagonally from the foremost tips of the leaf segment to the back of the fountain bowl, it is about 207 inches (530 cm) long.

An example of site-specific art, the tulip tree leaf was the main focal point of a below-ground-level rectangular courtyard surrounded by the Indiana Government Center South’s architecture.

For more information, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tulip_to_Life