Start Seeing Art

This is an interesting mural in the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul. It has what looks to me like colorful Aztec and Mexican imagery, along with these odd black and white scenes at the bottom. The signature is faded, but it’s by Armando Gutierrez G.

This 1997 mural by Alvin Carter is painted on the side of a garage next to the old Dale Street Greenhouse. The greenhouse has since been torn down and the remaining building converted into a community center. But the garage and the mural still stand (at least for now).

Artist Craig David created this sculpture in 2007 with the help of Youth Farm. The garden includes salvaged pier stones and antique cobble stones.

This is a 1992 sculpture by Amy Cordova, featuring mosaic tile work by Laura Schlick.

Pablo Basques started this mural on a garage just off Robert and Annapolis Streets on Sept. 11, 2004 in remembrance of those who died in 9/11.

Just down from Peter Busa’s “Demolition” and “Sport” is another massive mural, “The Periscope Wall.” Several folks from the creative department of the ad agency Periscope created the mural, which is on the back wall of their building.

Originally created for an exhibit at the Walker Art Center, this 1986 sculpture by architect Frank Gehry now stands in the Cowles Conservatory at the Minneapolis Sculpture Gardens.

Juxtaposition Arts is a local nonprofit focused on empowering youth through urban art. This is one of their collaborative mural projects on the edge of downtown Minneapolis. I believe this mural was redone in the summer of 2007.

Throughout the plaza of the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis are these cartoony bronze figures created by Tom Otterness. They’re both playful and bizarre, goofy and weird, fun and interesting.

“Inner Search” in downtown Minneapolis is another example of a Mark di Suvero work involving movement and large metal beams. This 1979 work features a swinging “eye” that’s supposedly inspired by imagery found on the one dollar bill.