art and design
minneapolis sculpture garden
from alexander calder, frank gehry posted in art and design by corporate_sunshine
Located across the street from the Walker Art Center, the 11-acre Minneapolis Sculpture Garden was opened in 1988 in cooperation with the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board. The sculptures are laid out in a grid system, with wide walking paths and landscaping intended to encapsulate and display the individuals works.
The most prominent piece is the Spoonbridge and Cherry, created by Claes Oldenburg & Coosje van Bruggen from 1985-1988. This work has become iconically associated with Minneapolis. There are numerous artists represented here, including works by Alexander Calder (Octopus, 1964, The Spinner, 1966) and Frank Gehry (Standing Glass Fish, 1986).
view full location details...walker art center
from jacques herzog and pierre de meuron posted in art and design by corporate_sunshine
The Walker Art Center is considered one of the top modern art museums in the nation. Originally founded by local lumberman Thomas Walker at the current location in 1927, it was the first public art gallery in the Upper Midwest.
The current Walker building was designed by Edward Larrabee Barnes in 1971. Barnes studied in the Bahaus minimalist-style of high modernism. The building's unexciting exterior is outweighed by the interior functionality of several art galleries spiraling around a central core.
The new addition to the Walker was done in 2006 by the Swiss team of Herzog and de Meuron. The boxy, irregularly-shaped structure is coated with embossed aluminum mesh panels. The exterior skin and general shape of the addition evokes an image of an enormous robot head preparing to devour Hennepin Ave.
view full location details...minneapolis public library (downtown branch)
from césar pelli posted in art and design by corporate_sunshine
Completed in 2006, the downtown branch of the Minneapolis Public Library is part of the collection of modern architecture superstars in Minneapolis. Designed by César Pelli and the Architectural Alliance of Minneapolis, the library boasts an abundance of natural daylight, a 5-story tall atrium as you enter, a rooftop garden, and a protuberance that I can only assume is intended to elicit thoughts of suicide or flight.
view full location details...guthrie theater
from jean nouvel posted in art and design by corporate_sunshine
The Guthrie Theater, completed in 2006, is the first completed American work of French architect Jean Nouvel. Large, dark, and ominously industrial, the Guthrie Theater is the preeminent destination for modern theatre in Minneapolis.
With a cobalt-blue steel exterior that rises against the Mississippi River skyline, the Guthrie features a large cantilevered walkway (nicknamed "the endless bridge") that projects out towards the river.
view full location details...weisman art museum
from frank gehry posted in art and design by corporate_sunshine
The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is an art museum located on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis.
Designed by Frank Gehry and completed in 1993, the Weisman has a signature stainless steel exterior that sits above the Mississippi River like a jumbled free-form version of the Palace of Oz. The non-linear forms of the facade disguise the fact that the interior is fairly rectangular and conservative to avoid distracting from the art. The open air of the gallery is partially lit by irregular skylights.
The light bouncing off the steel exterior facade is particularly impressive if you travel east across the Washington Ave Bridge.
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