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Artist / Maker Julie Chang ((American, b. 1979))

Date2013

MediumSite integrated terrazzo floor with brass and bronze insets.

Dimensions300 in. (762 cm) diameter (25 feet)

ClassificationsArchitecture, Architectural Ornamentation and Elements

Credit LineCommissioned by University Museums and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Iowa Art in State Buildings Project for Curtiss Hall. In the permanent Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.

Object numberU2013.71

Status

On view

Collections

CultureAmerican

Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025: This terrazzo floor installation in Curtiss Hall was installed as part of the historic building’s renovation in 2012. In Chang’s public works of art, a variety of media have been used to accomplish a layered symbolism that can be found throughout her studio practice and body of public works of art. Curtiss Hall’s installation echoes Chang’s San Francisco Salesforce Transit Center, one of the largest terrazzo installations in the country. Both installations feature layered imagery based in our local ecology, with the Curtiss Hall installation focusing on the synergy of agriculture in Iowa. Wind turbines and a circulating blue arrow reference renewable energy, and the students passing over the terrazzo floor become part of the installation in the rotunda when viewed from above. “When approaching public projects, I look to the narrative or history of the particular people or place in which the work will exist. With the intention of reflecting the character and values of the community, I seek to create a visual experience that is both thoughtful and delightful, engaging and inspiring. I approach all my projects with an eye towards images that have multiple interpretations and meanings, ones that might reveal a paradox or when brought together create a balance, ones that shift the viewer through the past, present and future.” – Julie Chang

Locations