Nancy Metz White
Nancy Metz White (1934–2018) was a Wisconsin artist with large-scale outdoor public sculptures installed in two parks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. White welded and sometimes brightly painted steel and forge flashings reclaimed from Milwaukee heavy industry. She described herself as a practitioner of urban archeology.
Nancy Metz White
- Name
- Nancy Metz White
- Birthplace
- Madison, Wisconsin
- Died
- 10 December 2018
- Place of death
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Field
- Sculpture
- Born
- 1934 · Madison.
- Nationality
- United States
- Occupation
- sculptor · artist
- Education
- University of Wisconsin–Madison
- Known for
- Magic Grove · Tree of Life
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Documentary summary
Nancy Metz White (1934–2018) was a Wisconsin artist with large-scale outdoor public sculptures installed in two parks in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. White welded and sometimes brightly painted steel and forge flashings reclaimed from Milwaukee heavy industry. She described herself as a practitioner of urban archeology.
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Nancy Metz White (1934–2018) was an artist and sculptor, of American nationality. The artist was born in Madison and died in Minneapolis. Nancy Metz White was educated at University of Wisconsin–Madison. Among the works are Magic Grove and Tree of Life.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 26 September 2026
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In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Nancy Metz White • Birthplace — Madison, Wisconsin • Died — 10 December 2018 • Place of death — Minneapolis, Minnesota • Field — Sculpture
Biography
Biography
Born in Madison, Wisconsin, in 1934, White graduated from the University of Wisconsin–Madison with a bachelor's degree in art education and also did graduate study there. She served as creative arts coordinator at Urban Day School in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She began to weld at the age of 45. White was also a printmaker and pastel artist. Her sense of color remained intact even in the face of dementia. She was married to Joseph Charles White who died in 2009. Their twin daughters are Michele and Jacqueline. Her papers are housed at the Milwaukee County Historical Society. She died December 10, 2018.
Identity and overview
Identity and overview
The canonical record carries the following identifying particulars.
Origins and background
Origins and background
The following is established of origins and background. Born in 1934 at Madison. It is also recorded that nancy Metz White died in 2018 at Minneapolis.
Works and production
Works and production
The following works and productions are recorded by name or by count.
Places
Named by the record
Places
Only places the record itself states, plotted where the house gazetteer settles their coordinates. Nothing is inferred from a name or a nationality.
Madison.
Birth place
Minneapolis.
Death place
Sculptures
Tree of Life, which is 2½ stories high, was erected in Mitchell Boulevard Park in 2002. Magic Grove, a grouping of three tree forms, was installed in Enderis Playfield in 2006. Conceived as a community gathering place, Magic Grove includes benches designed by the artist and a commemorative brick walkway. In both Tree of Life and Magic Grove, bird forms perch amid the tree branches, adding a fanciful touch. A smaller welded outdoor sculpture, Helping Hands, whimsically constructed from hand die forms recycled from a glove factory, is on permanent display at the Mead Public Library in Sheboygan, Wisconsin. In 2011, Fantasy Garden, a grouping of five larger than life painted steel flowers also made from forge flashings, was installed on the plaza of the retirement community, Saint John’s On The Lake, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. White also made a series of sculptures out of galvanized and stainless steel furnace pipe and flexible air-conditioning ducting.
Primary material
Documents and archives
Institutional database
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q6962849: Nancy Metz White
Scholarly · Wikimedia Foundation
reference work
- “Nancy Metz White”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Nancy Metz White. MOWA Online Archive.
- 2.Auer, James. She sculpts old material. The Milwaukee Journal. March 20, 1983.
- 3.Gould, Whitney. Neighbors help park bloom anew: Enderis among Mayor's Urban Design winners. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. May 27, 2007.
- 4.Ziegler, Jerry. At home, in the park: Enderis residents take pride in community. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. February 24, 2008.
- 5.Cameron, Bruce. Magic Grove in the neighborhood park. APWA Reporter. April 2008.
- 6.Sculptures and Architecture at Mead Public Library. Mead Public Library.
- 7.Saint John's on the Lake. Enriching Lives. September 2011.
- 8.Auer, James. Sculptor's show set for today. The Milwaukee Journal. November 25, 1979.
- 9.Manger, Barbara. An icon to technology. NEWmonth. Brown County Publishing Co. 24. 1. January 1980.
- 10.Blinkhorn, Lois. A Case for the Creative Child. Milwaukee Journal. February 11, 1979.
- 11.Brin, Edith. Heavy Metal! Artist carries a torch for junk. The Herald. March 3, 1983.
- 12.Higgins, Jim. Remembering the late artist Nancy Metz White, who made playful steel giants in Enderis Playfield and near Miller Park. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 14, 2019.
- 13.Silver, Amy Rabideau. Engineer of many passions put people at the top. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. June 17, 2009.
- 14.Milwaukee County Historical Society. White Family Papers.
- 15.Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nancy Metz White Death Notice. December 13, 2018.
References
Citations
References
Each reference names the institution holding it, so a reader may go to the document itself.
Institutional database
Wikidata, structured authority record Q6962849: Nancy Metz WhiteWikimedia Foundation
Institutional witnessreference work
Secondary witness
People, houses and institutions
Knowledge graph
People, houses and institutions
Teachers, collaborators, publishers and institutions recorded against this person, each on a stated basis.
Studied at
1- University of Wisconsin–MadisonOrganisation
Established from a fact already recorded on a verified source.
Further particulars
Held on the record
Further particulars
Open the remaining particulars
This entry is compiled from 5 catalogued sources across 4 independent registers. The registers consulted are Crossref registry, Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation and The Art Institute of Chicago. Every statement above is held against the register that stated it; where the registers are silent, the entry is silent.
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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