The Prairie Box sculpture, takes its inspiration from the American Foursquare home, a popular architectural style from the early 1900’s. The American Foursquare was commonly sold as a ‘kit house.’ It could be purchased through a catalog, delivered across long distances by railway, and built by the homeowners themselves. The popular Midwestern vernacular style was recognized as one of the most affordable homes of its time, and was colloquially referred to as the ‘prairie box.’

This iteration of the Prairie Box was commissioned by the Iowa City Downtown District with the expressed desire for a structure that would provide seating and shade for visitors to the Blackhawk Mini Park. In early stages of research, I became interested in the history of the site and the hybrid dynamics of the porch - both a public and a private space. In response to a ‘place making’ prompt, I was interested in creating an environment that would challenge notions of what it might mean to make oneself at home in public. This line of thinking led me to modify the traditional form so that every face of the wireframe house presented an entrance with a delineated porch and swing which the public was invited to occupy at any time of day.