The Principal Financial Group—Maya Lin Sculpture

At the beginning of 1995, nationally renowned artist, sculptor and architect Maya Lin was invited by the Principal Financial Group to create a work of art in conjunction with the construction of a new building on its corporate campus. Maya Lin is a best known for her design of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

The title of the work, A Shift in the Stream, literally refers to the streams introduced into the building (both the many small, seemingly random streams of water located on the second and third floors and the single stream of water embedded into the first floor wall). It also implies a shift in the architecture of the building in which it's located. Further, the title also suggests the conceptual shift from a work environment to a contemplative, personal space.