“bioQUILT”
celebrates the rich ecological history that has allowed Iowa to lead the pack in terms of biorenewable resources. By representing the topographies of historical Iowa, this piece acknowledges that the land we stand on has given us resources and holds histories that are rooted in thick injustice. 

The soil of Iowa is some of the most fertile in the world. For many years Iowa’s native prairies breathed in carbon from the atmosphere and sequestered it underground in deep root systems. Today that fertility feeds the world as over 85% of Iowa’s land is dedicated to farming. 

We acknowledge that this land was taken, and we want to represent the complex relationship that we have to our landscape which is rich in fertile soil, histories and a future for the Biorenewables Lab. “ bioQUILT” addresses the holistic narrative of the landscape - biologically, geologically, socially and historically. This piece speaks to how the land represents past, present and our future. Without the history we would not learn, without the land we would not exist, and without the soil we would not innovate.