The functional sculpture is a drinking fountain made of stainless steel in the shape of a tulip tree leaf.

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.

The petiole-and-bowl segment stands independently of the leaf section, but is positioned to give the impression that the midrib continues into the petiole.

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

[1] It was fabricated under the direction of Jan R. Martin of Tarpenning-LaFollette, a custom sheet metal products contractor based in Indianapolis.