Your family’s guide to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Voted 1st Place for Best Sculpture Park by Minnesota Parent readers!
Open 365 days a year, from 6 am to 12 am, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a must-see for any Minnesota family! Completely free, the sculpture garden is a partnership between the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Parks and Recreation Board. The sculpture garden opened in 1988 and was named “the finest new outdoor space in the country for displaying sculpture” by the New York Times. Today, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is home to more than 40 sculptures by artists from 10 different countries worldwide, attracting more than 700,000 visitors per year.
Not only does the Garden pride itself on being one of the first urban sculpture parks of its kind in the United States, but throughout the Garden, there are also more than 300 trees, shrubs, and plants intended to be a habitat for birds, butterflies, and so many other animals that call the park home.
A great time to visit the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the first Saturday of every month when the Walker Art Center hosts a “Free First Saturday” event, and admission is free! Spend the morning in the museum and enjoy a picnic lunch in the Garden.
Notable Sculptures:
Black Vessel for a Saint by Theaster Gates. This sculpture was built to house a life-sized statue of St. Laurence that Gates salvaged from a demolished church in Chicago near his studio. After being included in several of Gate’s exhibitions worldwide, the statue was brought to Minnesota, where it found its permanent home in the black cylindrical building built by Gates.
Shadows at the Crossroads by Ta-coumba T Aiken, Rosemary Soyini, Vinelle Guyton, and Seitu Jones. In 1992, these three artists created a series of bronze sculptures showcased along Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. The sculptures represented seven people who were part of the history of Minneapolis. In 2019, they expanded their showcase to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and created seven new sculptures, either cast in bronze or etched in concrete. One of these works of art is only visible on the concrete when it is wet!
Bog Walker by Aaron Spangler. The original Bog Walker was a solid block of wood, nearly 8 feet tall. The artist carved drawings over the surface representing his life deep in the woods of Northern Minnesota. After the wooden sculpture was finished, Spangler replicated it with a bronze version by welding together ten panels of bronze and transported the sculpture to its home in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden.
The centerpiece of the Garden is the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. However, many people don’t know that near the Spoonbridge and Cherry, there is an underground cistern that collects rainwater and runoff to water the entire Garden and baseball fields nearby. This cistern saves more than 4 million gallons of water per year!
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is guided by the belief that art has the power to bring joy and unite people through shared experiences. Ta-coumba T. Aiken says, “I create my art to heal the hearts of people and their communities by evoking a positive spirit.”
Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
725 Vineland Pl, Minneapolis MN 55403
Phone: 612-375-7600
To learn more about the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, visit www.walkerart.org
Nicole is the mom to two young children. Together they are embarking on adventures and discovering the wonders of Minnesota. You can follow along on Instagram @mnbucketlistmom
