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Art in the Park

Globetrotting Grandpa

You’ll be sweet on the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Center has thought-provoking and uniquely expressed Art both inside and Outdoors.ws1

The “Spoonbridge and Cherry” have become so popular with the people of the Twin Cities that it has become a local landmark and a much-photographed icon.

The Walker Sculpture Garden is a joint project with the adjoining Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Parks Department. Since its opening in 1988, the park has become one of the cities most popular for both locals and tourists. Over 40  works of art are on display in the park. The grounds are perfect for strolling on a warm summer day.

You can even come to the park early in the morning since the park hours are from 6 am to midnight. Many locals who work downtown like to stop at the park after work and let the traffic die down before heading home.

 

Many of the exhibits are hands-on or even bums-on such as this sculpture/swing set

 

A sculpture honoring the native American tribes. There was one exhibit set to go up calling “Scaffold”  that drew protests from local Native Americans tribes. The structure was designed to look like a gallows and was supposed to draw attention to a mass hanging of the Mankato tribe that took place in the 1800’s.   The tribe was not consulted about the sculpture in advance and felt the work was offensive and the center removed it. This one is more tastefully done.

You can ring the courtyard bell, but the rabbit bell is just for show.

The park has a glass pavilion that is open during the summer, but in the winter is enclosed and filled with tropical plants to create a warm place in the snow,

The glass enclosure is an accessible picnic location in the summertime.

The park has a winding path that often presents something interesting at every turn.

 

This tree was filled with windchimes. The day I was there it was breezy, and the cacophonous chimes gave the sculpture park an ethereal and mystical quality.

The Sculpture Garden is adjacent to the Walker Art Center which has a vast collection of Contemporary Art. I plan on doing a specific post on the center itself but here are a few of the works you can find inside.

The Sculpture Park is free, but you’ll need to pay for parking (flat fee of $4) The garden is worth visiting and is very photogenic.  The Park is south of downtown and probably is best seen earlier or later in the day to avoid rush hour. 

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