Bigger Minneapolis Sculpture Garden to reopen June 3

Olga Viso
Walker Executive Director Olga Viso speaking at the groundbreaking for the new Minneapolis Sculpture Garden on May 10, 2016.
Euan Kerr | MPR News 2016

A day of festivities and 10 days of free gallery admission are among the features planned for the reopening of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden this spring.

The garden has been closed since 2015 for expansion and renovation. It will reopen in June with 60 sculptures, including a 20-foot-tall ultramarine rooster.

On Thursday, the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board announced a ribbon-cutting ceremony at noon Saturday, June 3, with music, dance and other activities planned for that day.

Admission to the Walker galleries will be free from June 1 through June 10. There will also be a free party at the Walker on the evening of Thursday, June 8.

Walker Art Center President Olga Viso said the seven-acre expansion and reorganization will create a new experience for visitors.

"There's much more experience of seeing art nestled in the landscape," she said. "And from the Walker hillside, the views are going to be stunning, looking down into Minneapolis' downtown and into the garden itself."

The Minneapolis Park Board spent $10 million on renovating and upgrading the park, including a new drainage system. The Walker is adding $15 million worth of new art.

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