When Leland Stanford passed away in 1893, Jane’s fierce resolve and personal financial sacrifices sustained the university through its most precarious years. Yet, her primary physical representation on campus remains a monument where she is depicted kneeling beside her husband and son.

Due to Jane imagines Jane Lathrop Stanford at college age—intent, forward-looking, and free from heavy Victorian trappings—creating an immediate, timeless connection with today’s students. Cast in patinated bronze and stainless steel, her original mourning locket is reimagined as a polished mirror surface, inviting passersby to see themselves within the legacy she shaped.

Conceived as a major monument for her 200th birthday in 2028, the work serves as both an empowering portrait and a gathering place—a focal point for reflection on the leadership that built Stanford.

These studies explore how a work of art might create curiosity and reflection within the everyday life of the Stanford campus.
The work reveals an image through movement — emerging and dissolving as people pass through the space.

Jane Stanford played a decisive role in the university’s survival following Leland Stanford’s death in 1893, guiding the institution through one of its most precarious periods.

Her bicentennial in 2028 provides a natural moment for renewed reflection on her role in shaping Stanford’s identity and future.

These studies explore how an artwork might invite that reflection through an experience that encourages curiosity, movement, and discovery.

A tall curved form finished in Stanford cardinal red is perforated with a halftone pattern derived from a historical image of Jane Stanford.

From most viewpoints, the sculpture reads as an abstract form. From a particular vantage point, the portrait resolves suddenly into focus, then dissolves again as the viewer continues moving.

Rather than presenting a fixed point of view, the work reveals itself within the rhythms of daily campus life.

The appearance and disappearance of the image suggests presence emerging from absence — echoing how Jane Stanford’s influence continues to shape the university long after her lifetime.

The work invites curiosity and discovery, encouraging viewers to pause, move, and look again.

Developed in anticipation of Jane Stanford’s bicentennial in 2028, the study invites renewed reflection on her role in the university’s origins.

The scale, curvature, and primary viewing position would be refined in response to the selected site, including pedestrian approach, sightlines, and surrounding architecture.