Advance Terrazzo Wins NTMA Honor Award for Fond du Lac Tribal College Project

By AI, Created 7:56 PM UTC, June 02, 2026, /AGP/ – Advance Terrazzo earned a 2026 National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association Honor Award for a campus flooring installation at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota. The project turns the college’s commons and amphitheater into a cultural narrative space built around Anishinaabe imagery, durable terrazzo and a phased master plan that is still expanding.

Why it matters: - The award recognizes a terrazzo project that does more than decorate a campus. It turns the floor into a permanent storytelling surface tied to Anishinaabe heritage, college identity and daily student use. - The installation shows how durable materials can support public art in a high-traffic academic setting without losing design detail. - The project is part of a broader master plan, so the campus narrative will keep growing over time.

What happened: - Advance Terrazzo of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, won a 2026 NTMA Honor Award for work at Fond du Lac Tribal & Community College in Cloquet, Minnesota. - The award was presented May 13 at the National Terrazzo & Mosaic Association annual convention. - The project was one of 17 installations recognized this year. - The amphitheater installation is Phase Two of the college’s master plan. - Phase One was completed in 2018. - Additional phases are planned to continue the campus-wide story.

The details: - The terrazzo installation covers the college’s commons and amphitheater. - The design weaves Anishinaabe heritage and symbolism into the center of campus. - The flooring reflects the school’s “Union of Cultures” principle. - Julie Spiering, principal interior designer and CFO with DSGW Architecture in Duluth, led the interior design and phased master plan for the college since 2016. - The amphitheater’s recessed performance area features swimming otters titled “The Twins.” - The image was inspired by a painting by Anishinaabe faculty artist Karen Savage-Blue. - The imagery honors instructor Dan “Gaagigebines” Jones and his twin brother, Dennis. - The otter reference also connects to the tribe’s creation story, where the otter is a sacred symbol of unity. - The main seating area uses the St. Louis River to trace tribal boundaries and mark significant place names. - The design team said the river overlay aligned with the floor plan “like magic.” - An adjacent arched walkway layers phases of the moon over braided sweetgrass. - The moon imagery refers to seasonal rhythms central to Anishinaabe culture. - The sweetgrass references ceremony, medicine and basket weaving. - The installation uses 14 epoxy terrazzo colors. - Stair nosings and divider strip patterns continue up stair faces and other vertical surfaces. - Installers and suppliers helped adjust materials to keep the project cost-effective without changing the design intent. - Aaron Metzger, project manager with Advance Terrazzo, said the project stands out for the amount of poured-in-place stairs, vertical work and craftsmanship.

Between the lines: - The project blends memorial, cultural and geographic storytelling into one floor plan, which gives the college a visual identity that is both place-specific and community-centered. - The design also broadens its appeal beyond Native culture by drawing on landscapes and seasonal rhythms familiar to many people in northern Minnesota. - The phased approach suggests the college is using architecture and flooring as a long-term communication tool, not a one-time interior upgrade.

What’s next: - The college’s remaining master plan phases will extend the campus-wide narrative. - Advance Terrazzo & Tile remains eligible for similar recognition through NTMA member projects. - NTMA said a full list of this year’s Honor Award recipients is available at ntma.com.