Art and Nature in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, Minnesota is often known for its art scene and its nature. USA Today voted Minneapolis’ Northeast Arts District as the best in the country. The video above showcases art in Minneapolis from a more individual to a broader scale. The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, heavily featured in the video above, was opened in 1906 by Thomas Lowry. The garden features over 40-plus works of public art and is the largest urban sculpture garden in the country.
“Spoonbridge and Cherry” is probably the most well-known piece of art in the garden, and is the first sculpture shown in the video. It was designed by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje Van Bruggen in 1988 for the Sculpture Garden’s opening.
The next sculpture shown in the video is “Okciyapi” by Angela Two Stars. Okciyapi, meaning “Help Each Other” was inspired by the legacies of Two Stars’ grandfather. Her work focuses on Indigenous language revival and often invites participation. “As one drop of water ripples across a lake one speaker’s shared knowledge can spread to future generations.” Then shown is “Hare on Bell on Portland Stone Piers” by Barry Flanagan which was created in 1983.
“Woodrow” by Deborah Butterfield appears to be made out of branches but is made out of metal to better survive the elements. Butterfield collected sticks and bark and cast them in bronze, then welded them together to resemble the body of a horse. Next shown is “X with Columns” by Sol LeWitt which was created specifically for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in 1966.
The second last sculpture to be shown is “For Whom…” by Kris Martin. The bell was originally cast for a small church in southern Germany but was later abandoned when it failed to produce the desired tone. Martin reclaimed the bell and removed the clapper so that it made no noise. Martin created the sculpture to sway on the hour in a silent rhythm. And the last sculpture featured is “Hahn/Cock” by Katharina Fritsch. The rooster can be seen as a symbol of pride, power, and courage. Fritsch enjoys “games with language” and the sculpture’s tongue-in-cheek title plays on the double meaning.
Throughout the video close-ups and demonstrations of linocut and guache art by Mar Horns are shown. Though the only sound played in the video are the sounds of nature recorded at the sculpture garden, at the 49-second mark you can see Horns explaining a particular artwork. “These are Greek Orthodox priests and nuns, my grandpa’s religion. This photo is from an article about them being anti-vaxers.” At 1:19 Horns demonstrates laying the piece of paper on top of a linocut. “So the spoon, you take the spoon and the carving that has ink rolled onto it. You put the paper against it and take the spoon to press it in,” she instructs. Horns has been doing relief printmaking for the past decade.
Though this video shows a very small part of the Minneapolis art scene, it gives a window into the large-scale art that is featured in the city, to the art made by individuals within the community.
