1162 - Circumcenter by Po Shu Wang

Located on the outskirts of the Destination Medical Center is the Mayo Civic Center that features a Riverfront Plaza with views of the Zumbro River and downtown Rochester. Not only is it a desired location for outdoor meetings, social gatherings, and receptions, the Plaza is also home to an interactive art installation by renowned artist Po Shu Wang.

Born in Hong Kong and educated in Italy, Po Shu Wang relocated to the United States in the early 1990s. Even as a young, budding artist, Wang dreamed of creating installations that were interactive, encouraging visitors to play with his creations. Wang said, “I want people to be able to touch the work, to do something with it”. Here, in Rochester, his dream has become a reality with the sculpture known as Circumcenter, and locally referred to as “the mini-bean” or the “Chicago Bean of Minnesota”.

The tapered, arch-shaped sculpture is welded out of 5,520 pounds of stainless steel and stands thirty feet long and fifteen feet high. The sculpture, installed in 2017, is on the southern plaza while a kiosk inside the civic center overlooks the sculpture and invites individuals to type sentiments on a keyboard. After that, the magic happens and the mini-bean comes to life, with sound and light emanating from the sculpture outside. In Wang’s own words, “Our aim in public art is to invite the public to be our collaborators. We create tangible interactive portals through which the public can affect the dynamic contents of the work while exploring our physical and social environments along the way.” Wang hit the mark here at the Riverfront Plaza with his unforgettable and lively sculpture.