Garden App-titude

One of my favorite spots in the Twin Cities is the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, located across the street from the Walker Art Center. For one, it’s free, so if you spend just a few minutes or a few hours there, you always get your money’s worth. Two, it’s outside. Nothing beats walking through the lush lawn on a lovely day, perusing the art along the way. You can sit and relax, play hide and seek, practice your photography skills, and even learn a little something. It’s a perfect place for loners, couples, and families (nothing is breakable and with 11 acres in all, the kids can just go ahead and run themselves tired).

In honor of its 25th anniversary, the Sculpture Garden launched a new web app to help locals and visitors enjoy the experience even more. Download the app to your phone and through GPS-enabled technology, the app will pinpoint your location within the garden. Read about the nearest sculpture, listen to artist comments, and play different snippets from people in the community, like Mayor Rybak. (On why the Spoonbridge & Cherry is her favorite, one youngster says, “The cherry looks delicious!”) Another tidbit: How is the cherry removed from the famous sculpture? A person gets inside through an access door on the bottom, unbolts it from the spoon, and rides with it as a crane lifts it up and brings it to the ground.

Stop by Mark Di Suvero’s Arikidea (Greek for “spider”) and watch how the giant, three-ton sculpture can move in the wind. It’s another favorite spot for kids because they can swing from the wooden seat suspended from the center. Other favorites: Frank Gehry’s Standing Glass Fish and Henry Moore’s Reclining Mother and Child. With more than 40 works of art, the sculpture garden is a destination in and of itself, but you can also attend a number of events this month, including Target Thursday Lights (“fireflies” put on a show) and artist-designed mini golf.