Wall of Discovery

The Wall of Discovery is a 253-foot-long artistic tribute to the process that leads to great moments of discovery at the University of Minnesota. It includes reproductions of original sketches, notes, drawings, letters, and other items from nearly 100 illustrious faculty and alumni who are represented, including Seymour Cray’s calculations for the first Cray Supercomputer, a hand-written score of Dominick Argento’s From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a sketch of William Pedersen’s Shanghai World Financial Center, and notes from breakthrough medical operations.

Installed on the north side of Keller Hall and dedicated in September 2016, the Wall of Discovery along Scholars Walk contains representations inscribed upon a metaphoric blackboard and 20 edge-lit glass panels that are etched, and carved with abstract images and appear to float in front of the blackboard. These are meant to inspire multiple interpretations and reflect the continuing work that will become tomorrow’s great discoveries, according to the designer Drew Sternal of L.A. Ink.

The Wall of Discovery was developed by the University Gateway Corporation and won the Society for Experiential Graphic Designs 2007 “Honor Award” and the American Institute of Architects Minnesota Honor Award.

Read about featured Wall of Discovery Scholars.