Minneapolis Sculpture Garden
Explore more than 60 sculptures from the Walker’s collection on 11 scenic acres in the heart of Minneapolis. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is free, open to the public, and is open from 6 am to 12 midnight every day.
About the Garden
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is the largest urban sculpture garden in the United States and one of the Midwest’s most visited sites. Anchored by the beloved Spoonbridge and Cherry, the 11-acre garden features more than 60 works by artists including Theaster Gates, Alexander Calder, and Angela Two Stars. Part outdoor gallery, part public park, it’s an ideal gateway to the Walker—and a perfect spot for a date, picnic, or quiet moment.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is a proud partnership between the Walker Art Center and the. Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board.
The Land You’re Standing On
This parkland has seen many changes over time. A landscape shaped by glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, the area was once an expanse of marshland used as a seasonal camp by Minnesota’s first people, the Dakota and the Ojibwe. In the late 1800s, the site held an armory and parade grounds. In the early 1900s, formal gardens and a series of sports fields were established by the Park Board. When the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden opened in 1988, it was one of the first major public/private urban sculpture parks of its kind in the United States.
The Nature of the Art
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is home to more than 60 outdoor sculptures. Generations of artists from 10 different countries around the world created these artworks. Many of the works are site-specific and made especially for this public park—from the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry centerpiece to structures that offer spaces for gathering, conversation, or dreaming. Rediscover the Garden’s art and natural beauty through Minnesota’s ever-changing seasons.
It Takes a Village
What happens when experts from many fields—architects, curators, designers, artists, landscape architects, gardeners, environmentalists, writers, scientists, and many others—come together with community members to reimagine a beloved public space? The result of this multifaceted partnership is a forward-thinking design for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which was fully reconstructed in 2017. The site features ecologically sustainable water management, a flourishing habitat for plants and wildlife, and creative landscape elements that showcase the artworks in nature.
Sustainability
To reconstruct the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden’s north end, the site—formerly a marshland—needed to be considered carefully. Landscape architects worked in partnership with the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization to envision ways that this land might be used to better support the art, plants, and wildlife, while also more responsibly managing stormwater as a resource rather than a waste product.
The Fresh Meadow
Improving the park’s sustainability, a fresh meadow filled with native plants and engineered soils helps absorb runoff from stormwater, returning the landscape to a more natural state. This environment is interspersed with three “islands” that showcase contemporary sculptures from the Walker Art Center’s collection.
Saving Water
At the center of the park is an underground cistern, or water collection tank, near the Spoonbridge and Cherry. This feature helps to water the garden and nearby ball fields and also keeps more than 4 million gallons of runoff out of the storm sewers each year, thus reducing pollution in the Mississippi River basin.
Flora and Fauna
Throughout the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, more than 300 native trees, shrubs, perennial plants, and grasses not only create a natural frame for the art but also offer a thriving habitat for birds, butterflies, and other creatures. This dynamic ecosystem supports the long-term stability of the site, one of the crown jewels of the city’s park system.
Know Before You Go
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is always and forever free, made possible by the generosity of our supporters.
The park is open from 6 am-12 midnight every day, all year.
Our free Bloomberg Connects app offers an easy-to-follow guide and history of the grounds. Our self-guided tour is designed for all ages. We also offer free tours and private tours tailored to your interests and schedule. The friendly people at the Walker’s Main Lobby desk can help you with all of this.
There sure is. Look for “Walker&Garden” on your device.
Cardamom is a casual restaurant by Chef Daniel del Prado located just south of the garden.
We welcome 100% tax-deductible donations to help keep the garden growing.
Explore the Art
- Artwork
- Artist(s)
- Date
- Medium
- Description
- More information
- View Artwork
Items on this map
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Hand for Minneapolis
2024
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Magic
2008
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Okciyapi
2021
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Adam and Eve
2021
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Privileged Points
2011/2017
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Eliza Winston from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Time from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Harriet Robinson Scott from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Kirk Washington, Jr. from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Maḣpiya Wic̣aṡṭa (Cloud Man) from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Siah Armajani from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Untitled (Child) from the series Shadows at the Crossroads
2019
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Hahn/Cock
2013/2017
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Spoonbridge and Cherry
1985–1988
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Black Vessel for a Saint
2017
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September Room (Room with Two Reclining Figures and Composition with Long Verticals)
2017
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Untitled (gate)
2014
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Gog & Magog (Ampersand)
1987-1988
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Garden Seating, Reading, Thinking
1987/2017
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Seat-Leg Table
1986/1991
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Octopus
1964
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Tombstone for Phùng Vo from All your deeds shall in water be writ, but this in marble
2010
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X
2013
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Arcs from four corners, with alternating bands of white and brown stone. The floor is bordered and divided horizontally and vertically by a black stone band
1988/2016
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Three x Four x Three
1984
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Salute to Painting
1985–1986
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Geometric Mouse - Scale A
1969/1971
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Bog Walker
2017
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Sky Pesher, 2005
2005
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Sitzwuste
2000
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Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers
1983
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For Whom ...
2012
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Dawn Tree
1976
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After Dream
1997/2009
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Arikidea
1977–1982
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X with Columns
1996
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Sagacious Head 6 and Sagacious Head 7
1989–1990
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Shodo Shima Stone Study
1978
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LOVE
1966–1998
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Untitled
1987–1988
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Woodrow
1988
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The Six Crystals
1988
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The Spinner
1966
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Flatpak in the Garden
2005/2008
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Double Curve
1988
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Five Plates, Two Poles
1971
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Amaryllis
1965/1968
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Empire
2011
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Reclining Mother and Child
1960–1961
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Without Words
1988
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Walking Man
1988
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Bronze Woman IV Bronze Woman IV
1998/2000
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Untitled
1996–1997
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Untitled
2011
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Level Head
2007
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Concetto Spaziale “Natura” (Spatial Concept “Nature”)
1961
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September Room (Room with Two Reclining Figures and Composition with Long Verticals)
2017
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Two-way Mirror Punched Steel Hedge Labyrinth
1994-1996
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Hephaestus
2013
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La soledad
1999/2005
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Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge
1988
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Selections from The Living Series
1989
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Alene Grossman Memorial Arbor and Flower Garden
1992
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Cowles Pavilion and Regis Promenade
N/A
Through short interactive narratives, this ongoing series presents behind the scenes tours of your favorite outdoor sculptures.
Garden Fund
Help the Walker maintain and preserve the sculptures you have come to know and love with a 100% tax-deductible gift to the Garden Fund today.
Events and Photography
To rent spaces in the garden, visit minneapolisparks.org or call 612-230-6400. Professional photography is welcome with an advance permit from the Park Board.