Display Technology

Yesco gives Stanford’s Adverb Wall a refresh

Photo: YESCO

November 3, 2026

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Yesco has completed a major display refresh of Stanford University's "Adverb Wall," a permanent art installation at the Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The refresh included lighting and display upgrades designed to preserve the artwork and its dynamic visual experience.

Yesco, which creates, repairs and maintains signs, did the original construction of the installation with artist Peter Wegner over 14 years ago, according to a press release.

The project included removing the display's existing internal lighting and installing new LED lighting and power supplies, refreshing vinyl on select words and securing internal wiring to prevent shadows or visual obstructions.

Following the upgrades, Yesco also reassembled and secured the display.

The installation, titled "Monument to Change as a Verb," uses an ever-changing sequence of illuminated adverbs to explore the many ways change can occur. Originally completed in 2012, the 14-foot-by-18-foot installation features 308 adverbs programmed to illuminate individually and in choreographed groupings.

Behind the display, a highly customized internal grid system enables each word to illuminate independently or alongside other adverbs. The original lighting control system was designed with more than 80 programmed scenes and sequences, creating shifting graphic patterns and movements across the installation. Randomized sequencing helps continually alter the experience for viewers encountering the artwork.

"Returning to Stanford 14 years after we first brought Peter Wegner's vision to life speaks to an important part of what Yesco does," Jeff Young, chief revenue officer, Yesco, said in the release. "Our role doesn't end when an installation is complete. Maintaining and updating complex art displays ensures the original artistic intent can continue to resonate with new generations of students, faculty and visitors."