Alum Sanford Biggers to Create Sculpture for Google Headquarters

School of the Art Institute of Chicago alum Sanford Biggers (MFA 1999) has been commissioned to create a 30-foot-tall sculpture for Google’s headquarters at the Thompson Center in downtown Chicago. An interdisciplinary artist and 2020 Guggenheim Fellow, Biggers describes his practice as “conceptual patchworking,” combining painting, sculpture, and performance to reimagine Black histories and material culture. Inspired by the 19th-century quilt collections at the Illinois State Museum, Biggers’ monumental sculpture will feature intricate geometric patterns and folded, angular forms. Opening in 2028, the sculpture will anchor the Thompson Center’s newly renovated plaza, bringing Biggers’ engagement with Illinois folk-art traditions to the heart of the Loop.