A few weeks ago, while some out-of-town relatives were visiting, we took a stroll through the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. I last went there in summer 2020, and I think I had only visited it one other time after the Walker Art Center changed the layout in major ways in 2017.
One of the things they did in that renovation was move the collection of granite benches by Jenny Holzer. They used to be grouped in a square within one of the outdoor "rooms." contained by a tall arborvitae hedge with a grass lawn at the center. If you happened to miss that room, or wanted to avoid it, no Holzer messages for you. And their use as functional benches was pretty secondary in that square room, since they were stuck off to the side, and were placed in bright sunlight. Not the best place for resting.
Now, they are arrayed on either side of the center path of the main part of the garden, spaced out more generously, and there is tree shade above many of them, so they get used as benches. You never know what acerbic observation a person might be sitting on. It feels more interactive with the space.
There are so many great messages, but I had to pick just one to post, so here goes:
In case that's not readable enough, here's a close-up, which you can click for more enlargement if needed:
That fits the mood this week.
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