King Harvest

Object NameMosaic

Artist / Maker Carolyn Brown Braaksma ((American, b. 1951))

MediumTerrazzo, stone

ClassificationsSculpture

Credit LineCommissioned by the Iowa Art in State Buildings Program for Frederiksen Court. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University.

Object numberU2001.240a-d

Status

On view

Collections

Label TextThe works of art that make up King Harvest are located both inside and outside of Frederiksen Court Community Center and focus on regional farming and food production in Iowa. King Harvest is comprised of the brickwork design of the chimney and fireplace; cast concrete insets on the walls and fireplace; and terrazzo floors designed in conjunction with Minnesota artist Brad Kaspari. The floors contain depictions of planting patterns for plowing fields, the soil types of Story County, hawthorn leaves, grasshoppers and an array of grains, vegetables and fruit. “The floor images are inspired by the fact that Iowa is a major producer of corn and soybeans and Iowa State itself is a leader in research for the use of these farm products,” states Braaksma. "The [Frederiksen Court Community] Center was originally scheduled to have nice but fairly ordinary finishes, moderately sensitive to its use as part of a home environment. I was given the opportunity to influence the interior finishing, and I made choices that I felt would ultimately soften and humanize the heart of the building. The imagery draws on many diverse agricultural subjects, including the ways that Iowa's land and weather affect its agricultural practice (plow patterns), the science of food production (microscopic foodstarch), anecdotal food history (the origin of the Red Delicious apple), actual food crops, and the symbiotic co-evolution of insects and crops. The art enhancements integrated the shape of the building elements, their inter-related functions, and the diverse imagery." states Braaksma.

Locations