Before I tell you about the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Minnesota, I want to tell you how we learned about it.

Steve relaxing and keeping cool in the mist from the tip of the cherry stem at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden

Since our goal this summer was to fill in our map of the United States, we needed to visit Minnesota. Happily we also had blogging friends who lived there and graciously invited us to their home for dinner.

I’ve been following Joe’s Healthy Meals for years and he’s been following me as well. After a while, his wife MJ and I started corresponding. When he and his wife learned about our idea to travel full time in our RV, they made us promise that one day we’d come to their neck of the woods so we could meet in person.

At the beginning of July we made that happen. What we didn’t expect was an invitation to their home for dinner. But we were thrilled. One thing we knew for sure, the meal would be outstanding. And we weren’t wrong!

Yummy canapés to start off our lovely dinner at friends’ Joe and MJ’s home.

We were welcomed with some “bubbly” from their daughter’s winery, and after chatting and getting to know each other for a bit, we sat down to a beautifully set table for dinner. Starting our meal with one of our favorite canapés of all time felt like Joe and MJ had known us for a lifetime.

Luscious and healthful Italian Vegetable Quiche prepared by Joe.

For our entrée Joe had prepared an amazing Italian Vegetable Quiche and we savored each and every forkful. That quiche certainly wasn’t lacking in flavor and tasted nothing like what we think of as healthy food. It was rich and creamy and loaded with yummy veggies.

MJ made us this gorgeous raspberry cake for our decadent dessert.

MJ was in charge of dessert and bread. Her bread was so fabulous, but it was the cake she’d prepared that really blew us away. First off, it was a treat for the eyes. They do say we eat with our eyes first. You know how people say “it was almost too pretty to eat”? That was surely the case with MJ’s cake. But her cake tasted even better than it looked, so we were very glad she served us nice big slices!

The two layers of white cake were moist and had just the right amount of sweetness that were set off beautifully by the sweet/tart raspberry filling and velvety buttercream frosting. We were so thrilled that she gave us the rest of that cake and a loaf of her bread to enjoy back at the RV.

The entire evening revolved around great food, wonderful new friends and learning about our friends’ hometown. The conversation was lively all evening. But as soon as we asked what attractions we shouldn’t miss, they both responded that we just HAD to explore the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden! So we made that a priority for the very next day.

Fabulous mansion in downtown Minneapolis

Who might that be in the upstairs window?

Groveland Gallery

Driving to and from the Sculpture Garden took us through downtown Minneapolis and passed some fabulous homes. Some of those houses reminded us of a time when most families were huge and therefore so were the residences. Great architecture and delightful landscaping made our drive a feast for my iPhone camera.

Hahn/Cock – 2013-2017, by Katharina Fritsch, bronze, etched concrete, water-resistant coating on concrete

But it was the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden that really blew us away. The art was extraordinary!!! The awesome part is that it is open 365 days a year and free; no tickets are required for admission and it’s open from 6 am to 12 midnight every single day of the year. All you have to do is stroll through the park and enjoy the artwork.

The Spinner – 1966, by Alexander Calder, aluminum, steel and paint

Spoonbridge and Cherry – 1985-1988, by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, aluminum, stainless steel and paint

Two of our absolute favorite pieces were The Spinner by Alexander Calder, because I’ve always been a huge fan of his work, and the huge white spoon and cherry mist fountain called Spoonbridge and Cherry which took three years to complete by duo Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen. I think Spoonbridge and Cherry must be the piece that the sculpture garden is most known for. At the very tip of the cherry stem a cooling mist emanates but it was virtually impossible to get that mist to show up in my photos.

Arikidea – 1977-1982, by Mark di Suvero, Cor-Ten steel, steel and wood

Dawn Tree – 1976, by Louise Nevelson, aluminum and paint

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden opened in 1988. Since then millions of visitors have strolled through the renowned collection of modern and contemporary art that’s set in this urban park. It was a partnership between the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (a national award winning park system) that led to the creation of this park.

Here I am standing under For Whom… – 2012, by Kris Martin, bronze bell, steel, magnetic motor and wood

Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers – 1983, by Barry Flanagan, bronze and Portland stone

The land itself has had quite a history! This was a landscape that was shaped by glaciers over 10,000 years ago. The parkland was an expanse of marshland at one time, that was used as a seasonal camp by Minnesota’s first inhabitants – the Dakota and the Ojibwa. More recently, in the late 1800s, there was an armory and parade grounds on this site. Early in the 1900s formal gardens and a series of sports fields were established by the Park Board. The opening of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden was one of the first major public/private sculpture parks of its ilk in the United States.

Black Vessel for a Saint – 2017, by Theaster Gates, brick, granite, Cor-Ten steel, concrete statue of Saint Laurence covered with roofing membrane

This gorgeous park is home to more than 40 outdoor sculptures. Artists from 10 different countries have created these artworks. Many of the works were made especially for this public park, including the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry centerpiece.

Woodrow – 1988, by Deborah Butterfield, bronze

Steve and I are not fans of frigid weather (another reason we chose summer to visit North Dakota and Minnesota), but I can imagine that the sculptures and the park take on an entirely different look as the seasons change!