WATER
MAIDEN

Robert Barnum is an award-winning artist known for metal outdoor sculptures, murals, oil, and watercolor paintings. He studied at Oregon College of Art, Southern Oregon State University, and earned his MFA from Idaho State University. From 1989–2021, he taught art and sculpture at Ferris State University in Michigan, following earlier teaching posts in Chicago, Fort Wayne, and Idaho.

He is credited with creating the Michigan ArtWalk, a 20-year project that transformed Ferris State’s campus into a museum dedicated to Michigan artists. His work has received over 30 national and international awards.

WATER MAIDEN – Protector of Water

Barnum’s art is narrative-driven, often expressed through stylized human forms that invite personal interpretation. Water Maiden is a symbolic sculpture reflecting both natural rhythms and cultural traditions that associate women with protection and guidance.

Inspired in part by Native beliefs in maternal leadership, the piece represents guardianship of the skies, earth, and waters. Built from metal yet fluid in form, Water Maiden shimmers with a presence both powerful and delicate—an emblem of protection, resilience, and beauty.