Welcome to Franconia Sculpture Park.
EXPLAINING THE 25-ACRE Franconia Sculpture Park in rural Shafer, Minnesota, eludes a succinct definition.
Some of the pieces invite interaction and play.
This place, just west of Taylors Falls off U.S. Highway 8 where State Highway 95 turns south in Franconia Township, seems a playground for the imagination. For here you will find 105 oversized sculptures and others in progress that are mostly abstract and open to interpretation.
An overview of a section of the park shows its size and scale.
And isn’t that part of what defines art, the perspective the viewer brings to the piece?
How we view art is rooted deep in our experiences.
I won’t pretend to bring any studied art knowledge to this mini photo tour of Franconia. I bring only my background, my life experiences, my interpretation and a deep appreciation for the creative process. For whether we create with words or paint, metal or wood, or any other material, the reason for creating remains rooted in passion and the need to express one’s self.
This suspended sculpture by Minnesota artist Melanie VanHouten is titled “Reclamation.” All I could think were Dorothy and “you’re not in Kansas anymore” and tornadoes and “The Wizard of Oz.”
Franconia is worth a visit, whether to immerse yourself or for a quick study of art worked from mostly found/repurposed objects. I especially appreciate that aspect of this sculpture park.
I noticed how the trailside flowers mimic a sculpture behind them.
It’s a vast, wide open rural space that anchors these sculptures and hosts resident artists. Allow plenty of time to meander the many trails that wind among the sculptures. And, if it’s a cold and windy day, clamp a cap upon your head. You’ll need it.
SELECTED PHOTOS from my tour of Franconia, with more to come in a second post:
Bayete Ross Smith of New York City created “Got the Power: Minnesota,” a towering stack of boomboxes.
These remind me of broken surfboards. They certainly inject a jolt of color into the park. The circle is part of another sculpture in the background.
A somewhat more traditional sculpture.
It is the setting of this geometric art, right next to a cornfield, that especially pleases me.
I happened upon this sign, a reminder that artists work here.
Minnesota artist Kari Anne Reardon’s “The Big Game”drew my attention for the subject matter and scale. Yes that is a “gun” aiming at a deer.
This sculpture was among my favorites and reminds me of milkweed pods.
See the resemblance to milkweed? You’ll find real milkweed growing at Franconia. Minnesota Prairie Roots file photo.
“Black Book,” the work of Minnesota artist Peyton, features multiple paintings on “pages.”
Donations to this nonprofit arts organization are welcome.
Note: Please visit the Franconia website (click here) for titles of artwork and the artists and for more info about the art shown here.
© Copyright 2014 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
Very cool. I would love to visit this place, too. Amazing creativity!
Yes, you would enjoy Franconia, Beth Ann. Not quite like the quirky sculpture garden in Mason City, but…
I have always been in too much of a hurry and have always passed this stop up. I see I have missed out on a lot. Thanks for bringing this to the forefront of my attention. This looks like a great place to wander around and photograph. Those boomboxes crack me up; I remember when…now you carry all your music on your phone! Who would have thought?
Oh, yes, Dan you would be in photographer’s heaven. Plan on a few hours here.
Once again, thanks to you (and Randy) for taking us along on your treks, giving us all the opportunity to see “what’s out there”!! I have always said ‘no’ when asked if I would be interested in seeing Europe, or some such place, cuz I haven’t even scratched the surface of our own country, much less my/our state!!!!! Hidden gems are everywhere!!! Hugs………………..
That’s right. So much to see right here in Minnesota and our neighboring states.
Oh So COOL – loving your captures 🙂 I think my boombox would like to be art when it does not work anymore – ha! Happy Hump Day
We still have boomboxes at our house, too. Guess that dates us, huh?
I call it being old school – ha! Plus it is not broke, so why buy new.
I’m with you on that. We still have one of those old TVs, not a flat screen. My husband picked it up for free at a church rummage sale several years ago. It was better than the TV we had. And, yes, our TV reception comes from a rooftop antenna.
Hey it works, right!
What a neat place you have there at Franconia; that play ground equipment at first looked like a “spaceship” skeleton! Ha. Loved the milkweed – the seeds so pretty and ready to take flight and float away.
Franconia was certainly an interesting place to tour. More photos will be coming tomorrow.
I love the one that looks like a child’s playground. And I do remember those boom boxes. They were so huge and people used to lug them around on their shoulders – I don’t know how they did it xx
There’s a second playground sculpture at Franconia that I actually climbed onto.
We still have boomboxes and use them. However, they stay primarily in permanent places, including one atop my fridge.
What a fun place! How did you hear about it?, or did you just run into it?
I’ve known about Franconia for years. So when I knew we would be in the area, I planned on visiting it. I can’t recall how I learned about this sculpture park.