The Kohler Workers Mural

The artist Ann Agee (Arts/Industry alumnus, Pottery: 1991, 1998) painted the portraits of twenty-five Kohler Pottery associates for the work fondly known as the Kohler Workers Mural (untitled, 1991). Now, over thirty years since it was installed on the wall of the Pottery’s cast shop, the mural has been seen by countless associates. It serves as an acknowledgment and celebration of the individuals who are integral to the processes and production that take place on the factory floor.

Agee began her 1991 Arts/Industry residency without previous experience working in a factory. Over her time at Kohler Co., the people behind industrial production became colleagues and friends. After her residency, Agee took on the role of residency technician, an Arts Center staffer who aids artists-in-residence in navigating studio processes, further embedding herself into the network of factory workers.

Agee filled numerous sketchbooks with drawings of people and places she encountered. Those portrait drawings served as icebreakers to get to know the associates better and hear their stories.

Using a cobalt blue and white palette, she transferred the sketches onto teapots, tureens, portrait platters, bathroom fixtures, wall tiles, and the Kohler Workers Mural. The mural is constructed with the factory’s painted setters, which are large tiles placed under plumbing ware for stabilization during the firing process. Each portrait is bordered by a plain or decorative painted frame and surrounded by textured white tiles. The workers—casters, administrative associates, supervisors, glazers, and masons—are depicted either seated in the break room or standing at their workstations in the factory.