Mantle is a site-specific public monument on Virginia’s historic Capitol Square by Mohawk artist Alan Michelson, a tribute honoring Virginia’s Native American nations.

The artist was selected by the Virginia Indian Commemorative Commission in consultation with the Native American community, and developed the project in a two-phase process. The design phase was managed by the artist, and the construction phase by the Virginia Department of General Services.

Spiral-shaped and built into the gently sloping hillside, Mantle consists of four integrated elements: a continuous, 370-foot stone wall that doubles as seating; a five-foot wide footpath paved with local river stone; a four-foot wide bed of indigenous plants; and a central meditation area with a circular fountain. Visitors are invited to follow the winding path to the fountain at the center, inscribed with the indigenous names of Virginia waters and their tribal namesakes. The sole abstract monument on the square, Mantle is intentionally experiential rather than a statue set on a pedestal.

Mantle’s spiral shape derives from Powhatan’s Mantle, a large deerskin object in the Ashmolean Museum believed to be a 1608 gift to King James from Powhatan, embroidered with snail shells sewn in spiral clusters thought to represent the 34 tribes of his chiefdom. In its scale, symbolic shape, and terraced form, Mantle also recalls ancient indigenous mounds and structures as well as contemporary land art.

One of nature’s fundamental forms, spirals are present not only in shells but also in the growth pattern of plants and trees. By mapping the spiral onto the site, the artist was drawing upon the indigenous history and character of Powhatan’s Mantle, and welcoming visitors to align themselves with the circle central to indigenous cultures. Mantle has been embraced by the public and was featured in the December 2018 issue of Art in America.