Franconia at 30

Banner Image: Fall at Franconia Sculpture Park, drone photograph by Brent Snyder.

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You could say I’ve been held captivated by Franconia for over a decade, growing from my introductory what is this place phase into my board member phase.

 

Image: Brenda being held captivated by “We Move Still” (2017), Jordan Rosenow and April Martin, artists. Photography by Steve Ozone.

 

But I’m really still a newbie to this curious wonderland that will be turning 30 in September. In 1996, sculpture and pathways started to transform 50 acres of prairie at the intersection of Hwy 8 and the St. Croix Scenic Byway. The past three decades have seen the addition of a commons building with a gift shop, gallery, restrooms, leisure areas and a firepit, and offices and meeting space. There’s also an artist residency house, artist work area (metal pours and big equipment), and over 100 public sculptures lending a backdrop to your picnic, hike, or wedding activities.

In honor of the sculpture park’s commendable birthday there will be a celebration on Saturday, September 26 from 11:00 to 5:00. I recommend doing what 1996’s number one song – Macarena –suggests, “give your body joy”! Join the day’s festivities which will include bouncy houses, mural making, a scavenger hunt, party hats, live t-shirt printing, a photo booth, food trucks, and time with collaborating artists like Marlena Myles, whose art encompasses Indigenous history, language and oral tradition, and the mentoring land. Several artists-in-residence will be at the park and may even conduct a metal pour if all conditions are right.

Franconia wants their birthday bash to be your best day ever at the park. This place has been the site of numerous first kisses, engagements, walks, and art discoveries. But there’s so much more! When asked what Franconia Sculpture park is, the organization’s executive director Alex Legeros, said it’s the place where “big ideas come to life outside”.

 

Image: A big idea, “Skallagrim” (2015), Peter Lundberg artist. Photograph by Brenda Kayzar.

 

He’s referring to the artist-in-residency program. What sets this sculpture park and artist residency apart from other programs is the expected temporariness of the work produced. Set in the prairie where nature always wins, artists are able to experiment with materials and concepts. For many, the residency is their first opportunity to experience ‘making’ art outside of the classroom or studio. And for artists like Bayette Ross Smith, whose boom box sculptures now populate public spaces around the world, this freedom and temporality can launch an artist’s career.

 

Image: “Got the Power: Boomboxes (2011), Bayette Ross Smith artist. Photograph by Brenda Kayzar.

 

Thomas Putizer’s 30 foot cabin sculpture at Franconia prompted his residencies (and sculptures) from coast to coast, a solo show at MIA, and an MFA. Torey Erin, who was the park’s first Prairie artist-in-residence received a McKnight fellowship this year. As Alex said, big ideas”! 

Alex has been directing the organization since 2023. He is as eclectic as the park. After serving in the Army, he completed a Master of Professional Studies in Arts and Cultural Leadership at UMN while leading a chamber music organization and playing the bassoon with the Army band. He came to Franconia after holding development director positions at the White Bear Center for the Arts and the Museum of Russian Art and now works tirelessly to fund the park’s operations and grow its initiatives. 

Drawing on his undergraduate degree in philosophy, Alex envisions Franconia as a space to learn about and share in multiple epistemologies. Fostering an “inclusive community to create and contemplate” is at the heart of Franconia’s mission and the park’s sculptures, produced over the decades by artists from a diversity of backgrounds, present visitors with different world views (in addition to whimsy and creativity). For example, artist Annette S. Lee’s "Ancient Echoes: Keepers of Sky" directs the viewer to look at the skies through both western and indigenous lenses. This is Two-Eyed Seeing in Indigenous practice, and ti became the park’s curatorial theme in 2025, inspiring resident artist Morgan Lugo to create a larger-than-life rainbow sundial, a certified astronomical object installed at Franconia this year. 

 

 

Image: A Certified astronomical object, “Time is of the Essence”, Morgan Lugo, artist. Photograph by Brent Snyder. 

Lu Xu’s "Liang's Tears" sculpture incorporated a Miyawaki forest, designed to ‘reforest’ in 20 years instead of 200. It transformed a dirt field in the park into a canopy of local native plants that extends over 30 feet – in just ten years. Bridget Beck's "Poetry Studio" and "Playstation" sculptures provide play space for 30,000 kids annually while also being habitats for birds and bats. Asako Nakauchi's "Navigation" puts visitors in relation with the size of the tsunami that hit her village in northern Japan in 2011, killing over 20,000 people. The park’s programming, including the Mardag Gallery exhibits, artist talks, book readings, artist led classes, and the development of a Dakota activity guide, all aim to provide an expansive world view and sustain and grow the park as a welcoming site for exploration, experiences, and expressing oneself – even in a bouncy house. 

When you consider the herculean task of sustaining an annual artist residency with more than 40 artists from all over the world, curating a 50 acre outdoor gallery, and keeping the ride-on mower running, celebrating a 30th birthday is important. Thirty can be defined by lavish and indelible steps toward crow’s feet (Lord Byron) and as a time of open possibilities where nothing is yet irreversible (Simone de Beauvoir). At Franconia, where some sculptures give in to Minnesota’s climate and sink into the prairie’s soils, new works are being created and installed. That 30ish betweenness is clearly expressed here. So, come and celebrate with us! 

And if you miss the birthday bash, think about visiting for Giiwedin's Wild Rice Winnowing dance party on Sunday, October 18 from 1:00 to 4:00, or visit after hours for Northern Starz' The Crucible on October 9 and 10 (18+). An early fall exhibition featuring Minneapolis' Jackalope Tattoo, "Freedom to be Ourselves", the Farmer’s Market, a willow walk, a hayride, a tufting class, or a snowshoe tour are good reasons to visit Franconia as well. The sculpture park is open 365 days a year and doesn’t look like a day over 29.◼︎ 

Franconia Sculpture Park is located at 29836 St. Croix Trail in Shafer, Minnesota. The Franconia Sculpture Park 30th Birthday Party takes place on Saturday, September 26, 2026, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.