Campus Mall
UMN Crookston's Mall has become the nucleus of the campus. The buildings that make up UMN Crookston skirt the Mall area, providing a sheltered, courtyard-like space. Because of this and its centralized location, the Mall has become a convenient, attractive gathering space. Picnics, concerts, and other outdoor activities are some of the more common events to take place here. In spring, summer, and fall, the flower gardens scattered across the Mall help make the it an ideal area for a break from work or study.
Location on Campus
The Campus Mall's primary location is in the middle of University of Minnesota Crookston campus.
Campus Mall
2900 University Ave, Crookston MN 56716
Points of Interest
Grounds History
Mall and Garden Design
The mall and gardens were designed by Thomas M. McCall, former Superintendent of the Northwest School of Agriculture during the 1920's. In the early 1990s the Mall was redesigned with sidewalks and spectacular flower gardens.
Achievement and Aspiration Sculpture
Installation of the sculpture near the library was completed in the fall of 1981 and it was moved to the Mall in 2002. Sculptor Stanley O. Johnson of Grand Forks designed the piece. Johnson, a former associate professor of art at the University of North Dakota, was well-known for his sculpted works on the UND campus.
The sculpture, hewn from Minnesota granite, reaches 30 feet into the sky from its five foot base. The piece was never officially named, but the grants application and related documents referred to it as the "Achievement and Aspiration" monument
The sculpture was completed at the Cold Spring Granite Company near St. Cloud, Minnesota. Created in three pieces and with a total weight of 22 tons, the sculpture arrived on campus in the fall of 1980 and was erected over the early summer of 1981.
The cost of the project was approximately $30,000. Funding came from a grant by the Minnesota State Arts Board and from private donations
Following is an excerpt from an article that appeared in the Crookston Daily Times, Sept. 10, 1981.
About the Artist
Stanley Johnson, a native of Crookston, graduated from Crookston High School in 1938. In 1954 he completed a Master of Arts Degree from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He was subsequently appointed an instructor of art at UND that same year. He served as the chairman of the UND Art Department from 1965-67 and again from 1971-75. He was commissioned to complete six sculptures for the UND campus during his tenure.