Mpls Art: art with friends

Last year, in November, our wonderful friends, the McKee family came for a short visit to Minneapolis. We ran around Minneapolis doing fun things and taking pictures of it.

We went to Como Park Zoo where we found this funky bench.
(While not strictly Minneapolis art, the zoo is in St. Paul, I think it still counts.)

And I had to put this picture in, it's so sweet.
Poor Calvin was crying because he was terrified of the Gorillas.

On another day, we visited the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. We started out in Loring Park and took the Irene Hixon Whitney bridge designed by Siah Armajani. There is a poem that runs the length of it by John Ashbery.

The bridge from Loring Park to the Sculpture Gardens.

This sculpture is named Arikidea (the spider) by Mark di Suvero. It's fun because a swing hangs from the iron beams.
Interesting story: When we first got to the sculpture two young hipsters were enjoying the swing and each other a little too much. The couple was very happy to share the swing after I encouraged my children to pile on. I always think it's fun to let my kids loose on situations like this. It stops the inappropriate behavior by reminding them what such actions beget.

The Spoonbridge and Cherry is to Minneapolis as the Effiel Tower is to Paris. Just not as well visited.

And instead of iron it's made of fiber glass.

This is a bit of a sculpture called Molecule by the same man who did the spider one. I'm sure it's very gauche to say it, let alone write it, but I couldn't help thinking how heavy these suckers would have been when installing them.

My favorite, Standing Frame. It's made from charred white oak. And you're meant to look through it. I don't know why, but a massive walking frame tickles me.

Maybe because it's a Godzilla meets art type deal.

This is within the Cowles Conservatory. It was very warm and very green in there. These are things I notice now that I live in Minnesota: "Hmmm, green and warm, I need to come back in February."

Behind us is the Standing Glass Fish. It's okay, but Taran, Jessica, Lisa, Joseph, me and Calvin are pretty spectacular too.

The last piece we visited with was Two-way Punched Steel Hedge Labyrinth (that's a mouthful!). It was cool, we could see both in the mirror and through the mirror.

There was so much more that we didn't get to see and we didn't photograph. If you're in the area and want to go, then let's!