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ACRL NATIONAL CONFERENCE

A cultural escape: Arts and museums in the Twin Cities

C&RL News, December 2004
Vol. 65, No. 11

by Deborah Ultan Boudewyns

While attending ACRL’s 12th National Conference in Minneapolis in April, be sure to find time to explore this cultural hotbed brimming with unique and accessible sites.

The two nationally hailed museums of the Twin Cities—the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts—are both in the middle of expansion projects.

The Walker Art Center, one of the most progressive and challenging contemporary art centers in the country, will be closed this spring. However the adjacent Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, one of the nation’s largest urban sculpture parks, will remain open to the public. Stroll among sculptural icons, such as the Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen “Spoonbridge and Cherry” and Georges Segal’s “Walking man,” while witnessing the mighty construction site and design of the new Walker Art Center by the Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron, in partnership with Minneapolis-based Hammel, Green and Abrahamson, Inc.

Strolling across the Siah Armajani Irene Hixon Whitney Bridge, which links the Sculpture Garden and Loring Park, is a thrill for thousands of downtown visitors every year. The bridge gives pedestrians comfortable passage over 16 lanes of streets and highway. Rewarding your bravery is a block of cafés and restaurants across from the park.
The Walker Art Center is loved for its enticing exhibitions and educational programs. Because of its central and vital role to the community, Walker Without Walls was created for the duration of the expansion project.

The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is the scholar’s museum of the Upper Midwest with collections that cover the world and date back 5,000 years. Recently, Minnesota collectors of Chinese art contributed to the advancement of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts collection, making it one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of Chinese art. The newly expanded gallery of up to 20,000 square feet, designed by architect Michael Graves, features this exceptional collection of Chinese art. Information about the exhibit, tours, and the permanent collection can be found at www.artsmia.org. Book lovers will want to visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts for the special spring exhibition showcasing the first modern-day, hand-painted bible. The exhibit “Illuminating the Word: The Saint John’s Bible” will display approximately 70 pages of the bible, revealing the medieval and modern techniques of craftsmanship. Saint John’s has become an international center of the book arts and is in keeping with the Benedictine monasteries of the past. In 2003, the BBC presented a documentary on the six-year making of the bible project.

The Weisman Art Museum resides in a Frank Gehry structure, fantastical and Gaudi-like, situated alongside the Mississippi River on the University of Minnesota (UM)-Twin Cities campus. The modest sized but gem-filled collection features 20th-century American art with a cross-section of contemporary art from around the world. Special exhibitions from museums around the country are brought to the gallery year-round, and this February marks the opening of an exhibition of works spanning from 1897 to 1930, by Alfred Maurer, the painter often referred to as “the first American modern.”

In keeping with its mission to collaborate with the UM faculty, students, and the community, the Weisman Art Museum has sponsored a special program “Public Art on Campus.” Displayed in a variety of locales around campus, such as building entrances and hallways, courtyards, and plazas, the art ranges from traditional sculpture to multimedia installations. This is an amusing treasure hunt of sorts that leads to discoveries about art, the campus, and Minnesota. A print-friendly copy of the campus map with public art locations is available at www.weisman.umn.edu/.

^{The Weisman Art Museum resides in a Frank
Gehry structure, situated alongside the Mississippi River
on the University of Minnesota UM-Twin Cities campus.
The image was provided by  the museum's Public Affairs Office.}

A smaller gallery on the UM west bank campus is the Katherine E. Nash Gallery. The gallery, designed by nationally acclaimed architects Meyer, Scherer, and Rockcastle, is located in the beautiful new Regis Center for Art, strategically placed in the newly defined “Arts Quarter.” Exhibits include faculty and student work, but not exclusively. For the most up to date exhibition information see www.artdept.umn.edu/art_dept/nash.html.

Between downtown Minneapolis and the UM-Twin Cities campus is the Mill City Museum. Built within the ruins of the original Washburn A. Mill, the museum has been added to the Minnesota Historical Society’s network of museums and historic sites. The museum offers a tour that leads visitors to a giant elevator, where they can watch an exciting simulated performance of workers in the mill.

^{Mill City Museum was built within the ruins
of the original Washburn A. Mill. Image provided
by the Mill City Museum Public Relations Office.}

Creatively conceived and executed, the tour documents the flour milling industry that generated the growth of Minneapolis. Journeying through the eight-story Flour Tower is an illuminating way to learn about Minnesota’s history. The tour ends on the top floor and balcony, where the view of Minneapolis and the river is truly extraordinary. Wander outside the museum’s courtyard, through the mill ruins, to the scenic overlook from the Stone Arch Bridge, first built in the 1880s. Museum hours and tour information may be found at www.millcitymuseum.org/about/index.htm.

Across Washington Avenue from the Mill City Museum is the Minnesota Center for the Book Arts, which offers a multisensory environment with a gallery, printmaking and papermaking studios, deli, and gift shop. Great respect for the tradition of bookmaking is merged with the vitality of a cultural arts center. Exhibit information for spring is yet to be determined, but a visit regardless promises to satiate those who relish the tactile quality of books. Check the exhibit schedule closer to conference time at www.mnbookarts.org/events/currentexhibits.html.

While those of Swedish descent will find Minnesota especially interesting, due to its strong ties to that country and its immigrants, the American Swedish Institute provides a great cultural experience for all. The institute was founded by Swedish immigrant and newspaper publisher Swan J. Turnblad “to celebrate Swedish culture.” Located just south of downtown Minneapolis, the American Swedish Institute’s historic museum offers a variety of programs, tours, and a gift shop. The Turnblad mansion is on the National Register of Historic Places, and is the only castle in the Twin Cities. As part of their yearlong 75th anniversary celebration is the February opening of the exhibition “A Community Collects,” presenting art and everyday objects from the personal collections of members of the American Swedish Institute.

Learning more about Minnesota requires crossing the river to the Minnesota History Center. Architecture fans will want to see Hammel, Green & Abrahamson’s L-shaped building set into a hillside in downtown St. Paul. The building provides 300,000 square feet of archival storage and three public levels of galleries, an auditorium, restaurant, and gift shops.

The Minnesota Historical Society is the world’s largest repository of Minnesota materials. On exhibit in April will be the Smithsonian’s “The American Presidency: A Glorious Burden,” which includes artifacts from the Smithsonian Institution and Minnesota Historical Society collections. To find more about the Minnesota Historical Society, the Library and Archives, and this perfect exhibition for an election year go to www.mnhs.org/index.htm.

Other sites await those who embark on the mini-excursion to St. Paul. The Minnesota Museum of American Art is located in its new Riverfront Gallery in downtown St. Paul. The permanent collection with its focus on American art reinforces its companion collection at the Weisman Art Museum. While the spring exhibition schedule has not been determined, there is likely to be a show of pieces from the permanent collection—a necessary visit for followers of American painting.

On the first and third Friday of the month, the Minnesota Museum of American Art hosts soirees with live music, which could make for an elegant evening out. For exhibition updates and details on the soiree please see the Web site at www.mnnam.org.

The Science Museum of Minnesota boasts acres of indoor space filled with educational exhibits on anthropology, biology, and paleontology. Windows align the galleries with fantastic views of the Mississippi River. This spring, “Chinasaurs: The Great Dinosaurs of China” will display a collection of authentic Chinese fossils. Fossils have been one of the trademarks of the museum’s collections along with an emphasis on artifacts of American Indian cultures of the Plains and Upper Midwest.

The smaller-scale, nonprofit galleries and art centers in Minneapolis are just as professional and well-established as the larger museums and cultural centers listed so far. Many of these spaces aim to show the work of local and regional artists complemented by internationally recognized artists. The Minnesota Center for Photography is newly relocated in a 4,000-square-foot gallery in the north east section of Minneapolis, which is a fast-growing spot for the arts, boutiques, and the café culture. The Northern Clay Center and the Textile Center are located on either side of the UM-Twin Cities campus, and Intermedia Arts and the Soo Visual Art Center are located on the south side of Minneapolis, another emerging area for the arts.

While you prepare your presentations and schedule workshops and various meetings, be sure to plan to sneak in some of these small adventures; when you look back on your trip to the Twin Cities, you will be satisfied that you experienced a burgeoning cultural scene in the Upper Midwest. 

© 2004 Deborah Ultan Boudewyns