Minneapolis Sculpture Garden celebrates grand reopening

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden celebrated its grand reopening on Saturday, after it was delayed to remove a controversial sculpture last week.

The ribbon was cut near the iconic Spoonbridge and Cherry at noon, bringing an end to the renovations once and for all.

Over one year of landscaping and general reworking brought 16 new pieces to the garden.

Now that the pieces and new landscaping have been unveiled, a member of the Citizen’s Advisory Committee for the Sculpture Garden said he is pleased with the final results.

“It seems a lot more open,” said Don McNeil. “It seems a lot bigger though it really didn’t increase in size that much, and they added a lot of new sculptures that I think are really successful.”

One piece that is not seen, though, is the controversial “Scaffold.” The wooden sculpture depicted the 1862 hanging of 38 members of the Dakota tribe, sparking protests that led to its destruction.
The Minneapolis Sculpture Garden will now be open daily from 6 a.m. to Midnight.