Set in Stone

BY KEVIN MOE
 

The final piece of Hanson Hall, the Carlson School’s undergraduate building, is now in place. Finishing touches have been made to The Ribs of Humanity, a public art sculpture located in the outdoor James and Carmen Campbell Plaza. Designed by Twin Cities-area artist Craig David, who also created several mosaic murals outside the new Target Field in downtown Minneapolis, the sculpture represents, in David’s words, the “burning passion of the business world.”

The core of the sculpture is a representation of a large blazing fire, weighing more than 6 tons and carved out of a 33,000-lb. block of red granite. Surrounding the piece are several life-size granite figures that represent the meeting of minds and the importance of communication in the global business process. David notes that the flames celebrate the warmth and social aspects of gathering around a fire. “It is a study of personal reflection,” he says. “It is the moment that we seek to understand how our judgments affect us and the world around us.

Minnesota law encourages that state building projects with budgets over $500,000 dedicate funds for the purchase or commission of original artwork for the building site. The Ribs of Humanity joins the Carlson School’s other public art piece, the suspended globe inside the main building’s atrium, as a metaphor of the school’s dedication to international communication and knowledge sharing.