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it is amazing! amazing just how much time
hard to estimate
hundreds and hundreds of hours
for about six or seven individuals
and work went into building ISU's Smithsonian Folklife Festival exhibit.
Days soon turned
to weeks, then weeks into months
months of planning and designing this ten-foot tall by twenty six foot wide
exhibit. Wow! That just begins to describe it. Just days before the exhibit
named "Transforming Communities: Design in Action" was unveiled to the media,
workers spent a few short hours constructing the exhibit.
once the frame was built, workers spent time testing each of the 130 LED panels
that help make up the giant circular LED Video screen.
when we saw them all fire up,
the one hundred eighty degree plexy screen, it could sustain an image.
I thought I was going to need sunblock (laughs)
was brighter than I could have ever imagined.
Students, faculty and many others from the college of design
from Iowa State University Extension that had a hand in the project
couldn't believe their eyes. I was here last night, a couple of days ago, and
there were
some moments at the
whether or not we were going to make the deadline,
but that is what design is about
I was sure it was going to be done in time. I wasn't sure if we were going to be done 12 hours before or 12 minutes before
but I was sure that it was going to be in place
The exhibit features one side of technology and another side which is more analog based
i think everybody that looks at these will realize
this is a perfect combination we're looking right now the high tech side
combination of art, design and innovation
The technology side includes two flat screen tvs which play videos highlighting twenty three Iowa towns.
for interactive touchscreen stations along with the center console LED
screen
i do enjoy the LED screen, it's a piece of cutting edge
technology
so it's great to see it working
it's great to see the video interviews on it as well.
The analog side offers more of an art aspect.
The exhibit is part of the smithsonian Folkland festival which is celebrating the
hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the signing of the Morrill Act.
The Morrill Act laid the foundation for public higher education. It committed the
federal government to provide each state with public land on which to create colleges for
the rural population
Iowa State is the first official land-grant university and the designers hope
the exhibit reflects that. we hope that they understand that Iowa State
University is committed
to the success of this of the state of Iowa and the country. Our
message is that design innovation
is something we can do at this university, it's something we can contribute to the country
and through that we can succeed
They also hope it shows the University's
leadership in harnessing creativity and promote
community development
and help communities use design thinking to solve problems through extension.
overall it's
as cool as it gets!
yes know, it's really amazing
but the best part is going to be on display in the mall in Washington DC
the fourth of July. For ten days on the National Mall
everybody is going to be looking at
us and how innovative we are and what we're thinking the future can be for
all of us. The ISU exhibit is just one of 17 from Universities
across the nation
I can't begin to describe it. It gives me chills just to feel that
there's going to be
more than a million people
and I will venture to say you know close to two million
looking at the work of the people of Iowa and Iowa State.
It's wonderful to see the result of all our labors today and
I'm excited to see that happening on the National Mall as well. I think this is going to be
unexpected at least of the people in Washington.
it's one thing to be a university participant
but we had it in our heads because we are in the college of design
We wanted to make a big statement.
and I think it does
that. Collectively you're not going to get around this it's going to draw you
to it and it's going to be Wow. Look what they did in Iowa and I like that part.