Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is an 11 acre (45,000 m²) park in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in the United States.^[1] It is located near the Walker Art Center, which operates it in coordination with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. It is one of the largest urban sculpture gardens in the country, with 40 permanent art installations and several other temporary pieces that are moved in and out periodically.^[2][3]

The park is also in proximity to Loring Park and the Basilica of Saint Mary. It was once connected to Loring Park, but the construction of Interstate 94 in the 1960s split the area into two parts.^[4][5]

The land was first purchased by the park board at the turn of the century, when it was known as "The Parade" because it had been used for military drills. It became known as the Armory Gardens after park superintendent Theodore Wirth created a formal design that included a U.S. National Guard armory (Kenwood Armory) for Spanish War Volunteers.^[6] Working as a civic and cultural center, in 1913 a floral convention transformed the land into floral gardens, which it remained for the next 50 years. In 1929, a year after the Walker Art Gallery opened across the street, the Armory was blasted for its instability, and a new Armory built in downtown Minneapolis, turning the Armory Gardens over to the Minneapolis Park Board. After the highway was put in, separating Loring Park from the Gardens, much of the land was used for sports playing fields. In 1988, the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden opened, designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes and landscape architects Quinnel and Rothschild.^[7] In 1992, the Garden was expanded, adding 3½ acres. Michael Van Valkenburgh and Associates, Inc. designed the northward extension to complement the original space with a more open area that features a walkway and the 300-foot-long Alene Grossman Memorial Arbor.

One of the Sculpture Garden paths with Spoonbridge and Cherry in the background

The centerpiece of the garden is the Spoonbridge and Cherry (1985–1988) water sculpture designed by husband and wife Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen.^[8] The grounds also include the Cowles Conservatory, which has more flora and sculpture inside, such as Frank Gehry's Standing Glass Fish. A pedestrian bridge, the Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge (1987), designed by Siah Armajani now crosses I-94, once again connecting the sculpture garden to Loring Park.^[9]

References

1. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, http://www.minneapolisparks.org/default.asp?PageID=4&parkid=270 
2. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, http://www.exploreminnesota.com/attraction/7251/minneapolis/minneapolis-sculpture-garden 
3. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and Cowles Conservatory, http://info.walkerart.org/about/history.wac 
4. ^ History, http://garden.walkerart.org/history.wac 
5. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag99/oct99/gardens/minnscul.shtml 
6. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: A serene garden of art, http://www.articlesbase.com/destinations-articles/minneapolis-sculpture-garden-a-serene-garden-of-art-1372485.html 
7. ^ Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, http://www.sculpture.org/documents/scmag99/oct99/gardens/minnscul.shtml 
8. ^ Chronology of Large-Scale Projects by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, http://oldenburgvanbruggen.com/largescaleprojects/lsp.html 
9. ^ A bridge that's a work of art, http://www.artsconnected.org/artsnetmn/spaces/msg/msg5.html 

External links

• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board: Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
• Walker Art Center

Coordinates: 44°58′13″N 93°17′20″W / 44.97028°N 93.28889°W / 44.97028; -93.28889