Created in 1968, the “Bethesda Angel” by Minnesota artist Paul Granlund welcomes visitors to the Bethesda Medical Center and illustrates the story of the healing pool from the Bible. An inscription on the sculpture quotes the relevant passage:

“There was in Jerusalem a pool called Bethesda. An Angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and troubled the water. Whoever stepped in first was healed of whatever disease he had.” John 5

Granlund’s sculpture shows an angel coming down and touching the pool of water with one hand. The sculpture predates the current Bethesda Therapeutic Sculpture Garden, but adds a touch of history to the more recently created works in the garden.

Sculptor Paul Granlund created “The Time Being” for the Federal Reserve Bank in Minneapolis in 1973. The sculpture features a nude male stepping out of a mold. It’s a similar motif as “Man-Nam”.

Sculptor Paul Granlund created this cast of Apogee in 1980. It appears that there are five similar casts with the original at Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minn. This cast stands outside the drop-off entrance to United Hospital in St. Paul. The Philip and James Lindau families commissioned Apogee in memory of their father, Reverend Gottfrid Lindau, who graduated from Gustavus in 1917 and served in Augustana Lutheran Church.

The sculpture features three nude figures, an adult male, an adult female and a baby. The figures create an arch with the baby being tossed into the air–which is kind of a strange image, especially to greet you as you enter a hospital.

Located on the grounds of the Governor’s Mansion on Summit Avenue, “Man-Nam” was created in 1970 by sculptor Paul Granlund.

A plaque on the fence reads:

Man-Nam
Minneosta Garden Memorial
Dedicated Sept. 27th, 1970
Paul T. Granland Sculptor
Presented to the state of Minnesota
In honor of sacrifices made by
Minnesotans who served in The
Vietnam Conflict

Oddly enough they seem to have spelled Granlund wrong on the sign.

Also known as the Charles Lindbergh Memorial, “The Boy and the Man” by Paul Granlund is a life size bronze sculpture created in 1985 that sits on the Minnesota Capitol lawn. It depicts Lindbergh, who grew up on a farm near Little Falls, Minn., as a boy dreaming of flying and as a man seeing that dream become reality.

The adult version of Lindbergh feels a bit too forced and aggrandizing for me (what’s up with that mid-step pose?), but I do like the playfulness of the child version of Lindbergh. It kind of makes you want to run across the open lawn with your arms spread like an airplane, too.