Walker Art Center

The Sculpture Garden is being loved to death.

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, with the full support of the Walker Art Center, is pursuing state bonding to restore and preserve our unique and free statewide asset. Preservation efforts will help improve the Sculpture Garden's long-term energy conservation, safety and accessibility.

One of Minnesota's most beloved parks and a dynamic symbol of the state, the Sculpture Garden needs your help! After 22 years and more than 7.2 million visitors, the Sculpture Garden's infrastructure has deteriorated and some of its plant life is at the end of its natural life cycle. Signs of wear and tear include dated mechanical and irrigation systems, dying trees, uneven concrete and inadequate lighting.

You can help: it’s quick, easy and free.
Here’s how.



Join the Action E-List.
This e-mail list will keep you informed of our progress and provide calls to action regarding the Sculpture Garden restoration. You’ll likely receive just three or so e-mails per year and only at critical junctures when your action with legislators is needed the most.

ART ON CALL
612.374.8200

Hear more about the Sculpture Garden’s restoration project through Art on Call, your 24/7 source for up-to-the-minute information. More Information

• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Sculpture Garden landscaping and infrastructure
  AOC code #1443


• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Cowles Conservatory and energy efficiency
  AOC code #1444


• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, Safety and accessibility
  AOC code #1445

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden: facts and figures

• FREE every day of the year, more than 7.2 million people have visited the Sculpture Garden since it opened in 1988.
• The Sculpture Garden is America's first major urban sculpture park and a national model of civic collaboration. It is a partnership of the Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and the Walker Art Center.
• Nearly half of Sculpture Garden visitors are tourists who generate more than $16 million in direct tourist spending each year.
• The Sculpture Garden attracts more visitors than two-thirds of the state's nearly 100 regional parks, park reserves and regional trails.
• A 2009 Cornell University study found that the Sculpture Garden is the top Minneapolis image posted on Flickr, the online image-sharing site. Its Spoonbridge and Cherry is a Minnesota icon.
• 26 percent of Sculpture Garden visitors are children, including 120+ school groups each year.
• 25 percent of school groups visiting the Sculpture Garden are from outside the metropolitan area.

Join the Action E-List.

This e-mail list will keep you informed of our progess and provide calls to action regarding the Sculpture Garden renovation. You’ll likely receive just three or so e-mails per year and only at critical junctures when your action with legislators is needed the most. Enter your contact information to sign up for the Action E-List. Your home address is necessary to help us determine your legislative district.

Sign up now.


Join us on Facebook!

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden group on Facebook allows you to join the discussion, post your favorite Garden photos and keep up with the latest on the Garden’s restoration efforts. More Information

• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Action E-List


• Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Facebook Group

Why does the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden need a restoration effort?

The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden is being loved to death. Since 1988, the Sculpture Garden has had more than 7.2 million visitors. Signs of wear and tear include dated mechanical and irrigation systems, dying trees, uneven concrete and inadequate lighting. Without immediate action, our beloved Minnesota landmark will continue to deteriorate, the Garden's infrastructure and plants will be at risk and the grounds will become less safe for its visitors.

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board, with the full support of the Walker Art Center, is pursuing state bonding to restore and preserve this free and unique statewide asset. These preservation efforts will help improve the Sculpture Garden's long-term energy conservation, safety and accessibility.

What improvements are included in the Garden’s proposed restoration effort

The restoration includes significant improvements to the Garden’s energy efficiency, a new eco-friendly irritation system that uses storm run-off and cuts water usage by 50 percent, upgrades to stairs and ramps to improve physical accessibility, improved drainage and safety systems, and other major infrastructure repairs.

What will the Sculpture Garden restoration efforts cost? How long will the project take

Restoration and preservation efforts are estimated at $8.5 million. Once funding is secured, the project can be completed within a few months.

Who will lead the restoration efforts?

The Minneapolis Park & Recreation Board and Walker Art Center have contracted with renowned landscape architects oslund.and.assoc. to design and implement the Garden’s restoration.

How many jobs will the project create?

The restoration project will create 170 construction and landscaping jobs.