The Conversation
Object NameGiclee Print
Artist / Maker
King Au
(Chinese-American, born 1960)
Date2022
MediumGiclee print, framed
Dimensions84 x 48 in.
ClassificationsPhotographs
Credit LineCommissioned by University Museums on the Centennial of Trice’s death. Funding provided by the Joyce Tomlinson Brewer Fund for Art Acquisition. In the Art on Campus Collection, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa.
Object numberU2022.119
Status
On viewCollections
CultureAmerican
Label TextFrom the University Museums Collections Handbook, vol. 2, 2025:
To honor of the 100th anniversary of Iowa State student athlete Jack Trice’s death following an injury during a college football game, University Museums commissioned artist King Au to reinterpret the three public works of Art on Campus that are dedicated to Trice through photography. In The Conversation, Au’s exploration focused on a single event: the evening before Jack Trice’s first college football game against University of Minnesota in October 1923. That evening, Trice penned the letter that he would be remembered for, repeatedly stating “I Will.” The multiple angles shown of the sculpture’s face are meant to evoke a conversation with oneself, and introspection on one’s legacy. The pages throughout the collage represent time started but left unfinished because of Trice’s premature death.
The remaining two photographs in this series explore the excitement of game day, showcasing Trice’s talent as a student athlete, as well as highlighting the lasting impact of Trice and the barriers he broke through for others as the first Black athlete at Iowa State.
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Inspired by: Jack Trice, 1988 by Christopher B. Bennett (American, b. 1953). King Au’s exploration focused on a single event: The evening before Mr. Jack Trice’s first college football game against University of Minnesota on October 1923. While in his hotel room, Mr. Trice was having a serious conversation with himself (artist interpretation). He wrote down his commitment, his courage, and his might, to succeed and lead as an individual, as well as a team. While Mr. Trice was assessing his representation, he was also mentally preparing on his moves, and repeatedly used the words: ‘I will’. The multiple angles of Mr. Trice in ‘The Conversation’ represents the intense talk with himself. The 3-D pages on top represent a journal that was started and left unfinished. The sky images represent time and immortality.
Locations
- (not entered) Iowa State University, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Loaned Objects Collections Storage
Object Name: Engraving and Portfolio
Amy Namowitz Worthen
2012
Object number: U2012.85a-d
Object Name: Digital Print
Leopold Masterson
2015
Object number: UM2017.1
