How many of you have searched for something within yourselves? Perhaps you’ve sought meaning, purpose, or simply a better understanding of who you are. Here at the former site of Wells Fargo Operations Center once stood Inner Search. This sculpture served as a physical representation of that very human quest.
Inner Search was created by American artist Mark di Suvero. The Northwestern National Bank commissioned it in 1979. Di Suvero began his design efforts that same year. He visited the site throughout 1980 during different seasons. Inner Search was constructed on-site. The location was at the corner of 2nd Avenue and 3rd Street. The public was invited to watch di Suvero weld the sculpture.
The sculpture’s dedication took place on August 27, 1980. Bank employees gave di Suvero a standing ovation. At that time Inner Search became the largest public sculpture in the city.
Inner Search was a pyramidal welded steel sculpture. It was thirty feet tall. The sculpture consisted of two bent I-beams that bisected each other. Di Suvero used COR-TEN steel and stainless steel in its construction. According to di Suvero, the sculpture would give off the sun’s reflection. This would create a warmer surrounding environment. Some visitors felt its top resembled the Freemasonry symbol. Martin Friedman, director of the Walker Art Center, believed it was inspired by the eye and pyramid on the United States one-dollar bill. The Minneapolis Tribune felt Inner Search made artistic references to the Italian Renaissance.
Originally Inner Search was yellow. It was painted red when Northwestern National Bank became Wells Fargo. The sculpture stood here for many years.
However, Inner Search was dismantled in August 2022. It was moved to a Wells Fargo-owned storage facility. The Wells Fargo Operations Center was demolished for a mixed-use development.
During its creation, the public could watch di Suvero construct the sculpture. In August 1980, people watched the welding and placement of the beams. Two cranes were used. Barbara Flanagan from the Minneapolis Star called it the “liveliest [show] in town”. Museum director Samuel Sachs II said it fulfilled the human need for spiritual and aesthetic expression.
Not everyone loved Inner Search. Don Morrison from the Minneapolis Tribune called it “busy sterility”. He considered it inferior to other works by di Suvero.
James Lileks from the Star Tribune reported that few noticed its absence after its removal. He wrote that a sculpture of a “quintessential Minnesota babushka” was also suggested as public art in Minneapolis in 1980. Inner Search was classified as the “more sophisticated” choice.
Inner Search may be gone from this location. Its memory encourages us to continue our own inner searches. The search for meaning, understanding, and connection. Perhaps that is the greatest legacy of Inner Search.