Minneapolis – An Art Lover’s Wonderland

A sculpture of a large spoon with a cherry on it sits in the middle of a still pond, reflecting the artwork.
Spoonbridge and Cherry, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, 1985-88

In my mind, Minneapolis always seemed pretty cool. Knowing this was where Prince worked and lived was an early indicator, but with other locally-connected musicians like Bob Dylan, The Time, The Replacements, Hüsker Dü, Soul Asylum, Lizzo and others… clearly this is a musical town. But after working in the Bicycle Industry for a decade I became more familiar with the full-scope cultural cache this city has in spades. One of the best spots in the USA for urban cycling culture, Minneapolis and St. Paul (The Twin Cities) often pulled ahead of anywhere else in the US for cycling mode share, cultural events and plain old fun. Frostbike always looked like a blast, QBP gave us so many iconic brands and rides and the chopped/tall bike scene was internationally known. One day, I thought, I better check this place out.

That opportunity came last summer when I traveled with my partner for a little hometown visit. We planned carefully and managed to pack a lot into a few days. One of our first stops was the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden that surrounds it — a lush, humid 11 acres of grasslands and more than 60 outdoor sculptures. We’re talking icons like Spoonbridge and Cherry (Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, 1985-88), Hahn/Cock (Katharina Fritsch, 2013/17), Love (Robert Indiana, 1966-98), and many more. It was a humid, hot day as is it around here in July, the sky slightly muted from wildfire smoke and the grounds oozing green growth and life.

Inside the Walker, it was a thrill to see Keith Haring: Art is for Everybody — a massive retrospective with more than 100 original works, some absolutely gigantic (50 foot long murals, towering sculptures). I took some pics with the iphone, but it is really best to see these artworks in real life. What a treat. Turns out Minneapolis is not only a bicycle and music hotspot, but art in all forms seems to be a big part of the urban fabric. Bold murals, public art, theater premieres and a prevailing liberal mindset made this a very pleasant city to explore.

Later that day we’d explore another neighbourhood, check out a well-loved bike shop and make a somber visit to a memorial… more on that in the next post. Here are some shots from around the Walker Center and the Sculpture Garden, just SW of downtown.

Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2024.

A woman and child walk amongst the lush grassland of the Sculpture garden.
The back of a baseball stadium is shown with a fence featuring a player and a welcome sign with skyline in the background.
A horse sculpture made of driftwood
An abandoned scooter sits in a hedge next to a park bench.
A tunnel of foliage and flowers leads to people enjoying the sculpture garden.
A look up from inside a sculpture of black brick and curved walls
A sculpture of a large spoon with a cherry on it sits in the middle of a still pond, reflecting the artwork.
Three people look out from a bridge deck to some other people people
A sculpture depicting the word LOVE is seen with green bushes behind it.
A giant blue rooster sculpture is seen from behind with it's large tail feathers with an empty sky behind.
A woman leaves the Walker Art Center through a lobby of yellow glass windows and doors.
A concrete or stone monolith sits on a hill overlooking the sculpture garden and the city of Minneapolis behind.
A glass and steel structure and pavilion towers overhead as a young woman walks past.
Rocks covered in metallic paint and metal contours glisten in the sunlight as blue and gold reflects.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,

One thought on “Minneapolis – An Art Lover’s Wonderland”

Leave a reply to Anonymous Cancel reply