A Boreal Triad: Minnesota Compass Rose

MSP Terminal 1, Airport Mall South

"Minnesota Compass Rose" is part of "A Boreal Triad," located in MSP Terminal 1 and consists of three inlaid stone floors entitled "Minnesota Compass Rose," "The North Star," and "Plant, Animal, Season." All three designs are aligned to magnetic North and were installed in 1999.

A romantic icon of travel, the compass rose is a map-derived image emphasizing the idea of The North. Its northerly “N” is set within a northern red oak leaf, a plant native to Minnesota. A snowflake at the center of the design celebrates Minnesota’s extravagant winter. The juxtaposition of the curved and jagged edges within the design’s offset concentric circles is a symbolic rendering of fire and ice.