The city of Fargo gave NDSU some nice recognition by featuring images of the university on a train car in the heart of downtown. 

A train car at the Northern Pacific Depot on Main Avenue is wrapped with artwork that shows the university gate, bison statue, Minard Hall and Old Main clock tower. It also shows wheat, the symbol of the university’s land-grant mission to serve the citizens of North Dakota, and the rolling fields of the state’s landscape.

The NDSU train car joins a Fargo-themed train car that has become a favorite photo backdrop for residents and visitors. The NDSU artwork and its placement celebrates the spirit and energy students bring to the community and the supportive, welcoming atmosphere the community creates for students. 

NDSU is part of the downtown community through our downtown campus. It includes three buildings where business, art, architecture and landscape architecture students study. Some students who live off campus choose downtown housing where they have easy access to both campuses and contribute to the fun, creative, innovative downtown vibe.  

Collaborating on the installation with the Fargo Park District is one of the ways NDSU supports the arts and local artists. Steve Knutson of Fargo created the artwork. His work is displayed in various businesses and galleries in North Dakota and across the U.S. He teaches art at Discovery Middle School in Fargo, where he lives with his wife and two children. He also created the artwork for the original Fargo train car to the east of the NDSU-themed car. 

The installation began Tuesday, Aug. 7, and took two days to complete. The artwork was digitally printed on 20 vinyl panels that are 54 inches wide and protected with laminate. The train car is 90 feet long and 8 feet high. It will remain in place for three years.

As a student-focused, land-grant, research university, we serve our citizens.