A new piece of public art will soon stand on the SDSU campus’s northwest side, not just as a work of art but as a tribute to the impact one person can make on the world.
The artwork is set to be completed in spring 2025 and will be placed between the Raven Precision Agriculture Center and the McFadden Biostress Laboratory
The public artwork, standing at 24 feet tall, will not only be a tribute to Edgar Sharp McFadden’s groundbreaking work, but also a statement about what’s possible when you refuse to give up.
The sculpture is designed to capture the essence of McFadden’s research. It features two spiraling wheat varieties, which mimics the structure of DNA. The seven kiosks surrounding the piece will guide spectators through McFadden’s story and the global significance of his contributions.
“My hope is that, once this artwork is installed, those walking through the corridor will encounter this monumental piece and its accompanying kiosks, and feel inspired by the experience and story,” said Reinaldo Correa, the nationally acclaimed artist who created the artwork. “It is profoundly moving to reflect on the fact that Edgar McFadden, the individual this work honors, not only taught here but also walked the very paths [students] tread today.”
Born and raised on a farm near Webster, South Dakota, McFadden saw firsthand the devastation that wheat rust caused to crops. As an undergraduate at SDSU in the 1910s, he refused to accept that this disease would continue to threaten global food security. McFadden spent years crossing wheat species to create a rust-resistant strain.
“It is a reminder that we, too, can face obstacles, embrace challenges, and make a difference. As students pass by this artwork in the years to come, they will see more than just a monument; said David Wright, former head of SDSU’s Agronomy, Horticulture and Plant Science Department. They will see a legacy of courage and an invitation to make a difference.”
“He worked with his landlord here in town and he tilled up an area of the backyard and he planted wheat,” Wright added. “He sat on a 5-gallon bucket and he would actually make these crosses.”
President Barry Dunn highlighted his legacy during his inaugural address in 2016, saying, “The literal inventor of Hope—Edgar S. McFadden—was an 18-year-old student here at SDSU, who 100 years ago bred a disease-resistant variety of wheat he named ‘Hope,’ that was credited with saving millions of people from starvation during and after the Second World War.”
The idea for the artwork has been in the works for years, starting when Dunn served as Dean for the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences and Kevin Kephart was vice president of research. Kephart initially introduced the concept. When Dunn became president, he was adamant that the university needed to continue honoring McFadden’s legacy, pushing the project forward.
Finding an artist to take on such a project was done with careful consideration. Correa, the Florida-based artist, was selected through a national competition organized by the council of representatives for the Edgar McFadden Endowment.
“The council, following the president’s wishes, held a competition about three years ago and invited national and world-renowned artists to compete,” Wright said. “We selected one individual.”
While the committee had input, Dunn had the final say.
“We have reached out to over 30 companies to identify a manufacturer capable of producing the intricate spiral design element, which symbolizes the two wheat species McFadden successfully hybridized and which we are unable to fabricate in-house,” Correa said.
The metal rods forming the spiraling wheat are being crafted by a company in the midwest, highlighting the collaboration required to bring the artwork to life.
Correa credits his personal team, Travis Rice—including a designer, fabricators, and a graphic designer—and other SDSU collaborators, such as Wright and Kephart, for pushing the project to its full potential.
“It’s an opportunity to not only learn about this story but also to have this glimpse of the incredible honor and opportunity it is to have an education at South Dakota State University,” Correa said.
McFadden’s story is a testament to passion and persistence.
Ignoring the doubts of scientists at the time, McFadden would eventually successfully cross the Emmer and Marquis wheat breeds to produce a rust-resistant strain. His achievement was foundational to the Green Revolution.
“Edgar questioned everything,” Wright said. “He wanted to know why farmers were suffering from this red dust, and he took it upon himself to find the answers. That kind of passion and vision is possible for any student at South Dakota State University.”
Correa hopes that students who encounter this artwork will “see how [McFadden] was able to capitalize on his time on this campus to leave his fingerprint on the world.”
In honoring McFadden, SDSU does more than commemorate his legacy—it celebrates the power of perseverance and the belief that, no matter where we start, we all have the potential to shape the future.
“The miracle of the whole thing is that all the scientists believed it would never happen,” Wright said.