Wall of Discovery
Encyclopedia
The Wall of Discovery is an environmental artwork that includes a 253-foot-long printed "blackboard" located in the center of the Scholars Walk on the University of Minnesota
campus. This installation was designed to celebrate the discoveries, inventions and creations of alumni and faculty of the University that have brought significant changes to the world in which we live.
The method used to capture the work was first to create an extensive list of notable U of M graduates in as many fields as possible. Extensive research was done by Minneapolis design firm LA ink
that led to the finding of many original hand written notes and diagrams chronicling the discoveries by these scholars. The documents were then scanned and retouched
, pixel by pixel, until they looked as if they were rendered in chalk on a chalkboard. 20 Glass edge lit panels were also designed to both illuminate the walkway and possibly inspire current students toward future discoveries.
An installation of this nature has never before been attempted by a major institution like the University of Minnesota.
The Artwork was submitted to the SEGD design competition in 2007 and won their "Honor Award" the highest achievement category. That same year it also received the AIA Minnesota Honor Award.
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
campus. This installation was designed to celebrate the discoveries, inventions and creations of alumni and faculty of the University that have brought significant changes to the world in which we live.
The method used to capture the work was first to create an extensive list of notable U of M graduates in as many fields as possible. Extensive research was done by Minneapolis design firm LA ink
LA ink
LA ink is a design firm established in 1987 and based in Minneapolis, MN. Most notable for their pioneering work in large scale printed murals and achievement recognition installations. Some key examples of their work are the SEGD 2007 Honor Award / AIA MN Award winning "Wall of Discovery" and the...
that led to the finding of many original hand written notes and diagrams chronicling the discoveries by these scholars. The documents were then scanned and retouched
Image editing
Image editing encompasses the processes of altering images, whether they be digital photographs, traditional analog photographs, or illustrations. Traditional analog image editing is known as photo retouching, using tools such as an airbrush to modify photographs, or editing illustrations with any...
, pixel by pixel, until they looked as if they were rendered in chalk on a chalkboard. 20 Glass edge lit panels were also designed to both illuminate the walkway and possibly inspire current students toward future discoveries.
An installation of this nature has never before been attempted by a major institution like the University of Minnesota.
The Artwork was submitted to the SEGD design competition in 2007 and won their "Honor Award" the highest achievement category. That same year it also received the AIA Minnesota Honor Award.
Persons represented on the wall
Over 100 alumni and faculty from the University of Minnesota are represented on the wall a few of whom are:- Robert W. GoreRobert W. GoreRobert W. "Bob" Gore is an American engineer and scientist, inventor and businessman, who along with his father Bill Gore invented Gore-Tex, a waterproof/breathable fabric made from polytetrafluoroethylene ....
- Seymour CraySeymour CraySeymour Roger Cray was an American electrical engineer and supercomputer architect who designed a series of computers that were the fastest in the world for decades, and founded Cray Research which would build many of these machines. Called "the father of supercomputing," Cray has been credited...
- Ancel KeysAncel KeysAncel Benjamin Keys was an American scientist who studied the influence of diet on health. In particular, he hypothesized that different kinds of dietary fat had different effects on health....
- Norman BorlaugNorman BorlaugNorman Ernest Borlaug was an American agronomist, humanitarian, and Nobel laureate who has been called "the father of the Green Revolution". Borlaug was one of only six people to have won the Nobel Peace Prize, the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal...
- John BerrymanJohn BerrymanJohn Allyn Berryman was an American poet and scholar, born in McAlester, Oklahoma. He was a major figure in American poetry in the second half of the 20th century and was considered a key figure in the Confessional school of poetry...
- Earl BakkenEarl BakkenEarl E. Bakken is an American engineer, businessman and philanthropist of Dutch and Norwegian American ancestry...
- Reynold Johnson
- F. John Lewis (cardiac surgeonCardiac surgeryCardiovascular surgery is surgery on the heart or great vessels performed by cardiac surgeons. Frequently, it is done to treat complications of ischemic heart disease , correct congenital heart disease, or treat valvular heart disease from various causes including endocarditis, rheumatic heart...
) - Hubert HumphreyHubert HumphreyHubert Horatio Humphrey, Jr. , served under President Lyndon B. Johnson as the 38th Vice President of the United States. Humphrey twice served as a United States Senator from Minnesota, and served as Democratic Majority Whip. He was a founder of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and...
- Roy WilkinsRoy WilkinsRoy Wilkins was a prominent civil rights activist in the United States from the 1930s to the 1970s. Wilkins' most notable role was in his leadership of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People ....
- Herb BrooksHerb BrooksHerbert Paul Brooks, Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. He notably coached the United States' men's hockey team to a 4-3 upset of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York on February 22, 1980...
- Garrison KeillorGarrison KeillorGary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
- Deke SlaytonDeke SlaytonDonald Kent Slayton , better known as Deke Slayton, was an American World War II pilot and later, one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts....
- Warren Burger
- Harry BlackmunHarry BlackmunHarold Andrew Blackmun was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1970 until 1994. He is best known as the author of Roe v. Wade.- Early years and professional career :...
- James ‘Crash’ Ryan 2
- Saul BellowSaul BellowSaul Bellow was a Canadian-born Jewish American writer. For his literary contributions, Bellow was awarded the Pulitzer Prize, the Nobel Prize for Literature, and the National Medal of Arts...
- Bob DylanBob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...