10 Minnesota public outdoor artworks worth the road trip

Seeing art doesn’t require paying a museum entrance fee or even going inside. Catch these outdoor artworks before summer is over. Go up north and see Otto the Big Otter, a traditional Somali hut turned into a healing structure or a sculpture garden filled with the creations of a single man. Go south and sit on top of giant fingers, discover historic Red Wing’s Black history or learn more about the Chinese zodiac.

Twin Cities artist Seitu Jones is best known for his shadows series at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and on Nicollet Mall. These are bronze castings embedded into the sidewalk that represent people who made a mark on Minnesota history.

He takes that concept to Red Wing, etching figures into the sidewalk at the historic St. James Hotel and the Salvation Army, former site of the Equal Rights Meat Market, the first business in Red Wing jointly owned by a white person and a Black person. “I wanted to do a whole set of pieces that relate to the Black presence and the Black historical presence, so that’s one side,” Jones said.

The other side is that his family has been in Minnesota for four generations. Jones’ great-grandfather Joseph Parker was born into slavery in Kentucky, freed himself, fought in the Civil War and landed in Red Wing in the 1870s. He worked at the St. James Hotel before moving on to start a farm in Rochester.

Iowa-based artist Tim Adams crafted a 9-foot-tall by 6½-foot-wide aluminum, metal and steel black-eyed Susan flower. It’s in front of Silver Lake Station, 702 West Silver Lake Drive NE. During the summer, the fire station hosts day camps for people with special needs. It felt personal for Adams, who has a nephew with special needs. “This one guy, probably in his 70s, came out and said: ‘What are you making?’ and I said ‘A flower. For you!’ And he got all excited and started asking questions.” The flower’s squiggly yellow petals, sharp green leaves, and strong brown stalk mean that it can “bloom” year-round.

Artist Renee Zhang’s sculpture “Zodiac” in Mayo Park East is a giant, red, circular aluminum sculpture of the Chinese zodiac signs. The signs are related to ancient astrology, and the number 12 represents how many years it takes Jupiter to orbit the sun. “Animals were chosen as symbols of the zodiac, which originated from the ancient people’s worship of animals,” Zhang said.

Three rust-tinted slabs of steel seem to hold a silver sphere in balance. This is “Nidum” by artist Jon Kamrath, on the Zumbro River walkway in downtown Rochester at the river landing near 3rd Street SE. “The ball is reflective so you can see yourself in it, so it’s almost like these other parts are holding you up and supporting you,” Kamrath said. “It’s a way to make the people who see it feel supported.” “Nidum” means nest in Latin, and he also imagined the sphere as a giant dragon egg.

Five multicolored fingers from a single hand seem to grow out of the ground at Bloomington Central Station Park, 8100 33rd Av. S., Bloomington. Created by artists Safa Sarvestani and Shirin Ghoraishi, the sculpture offers a chance to experience shared humanity. “The hand, a universal symbol of connection and communication with an open and welcoming gesture, signifies an invitation to engage and interact,” Ghoraishi said. “Unlike what is happening in our world with hatred and war, the work symbolizes unity and peace, bringing us together in harmony.” Bonus: You can take a seat on top of the concrete fingers!

Somali American artist Ifrah Mansour is known for her temporary healing aqalsor huts, and her work seeks to create empathy and connection, envisioning art as a tool for healing. Down a winding road at the Avon Hills Folk School, 31335 Kalla Lake Road in Avon, Minn., find her first permanent healing aqal, a traditional Somali hut made with locally foraged cattail plant. Go inside the hut and relax. “I would encourage people to, the dream is to create a self-guided healing tour around the school that ends with a meditation inside the hut, inside the aqal,” Mansour said. (Aqal visits by appointment only. Call 320-492-1444 or email info@avonhillsfolkschool.org)

When lifelong Otter Tail County resident Ken Nyberg retired from construction work in 1999, he devoted his life to large-scale metal sculptures. These include a giant watermelon being cut by a knife, an elephant, an alien holding a rose, an astronaut (his daughter Karen was a NASA astronaut), and a cup with coffee streaming out, seemingly suspended in air. Find these sculptures at the Nyberg Sculpture Park, 6001 E. Front St., Vining, Minn.

The heart of Otter Tail County belongs to “Otto the Big Otter,” a 15-foot-tall, 40-foot-long concrete-covered metal otter in Adams Park. Local high schoolers built this with the help of their teacher, Steve Jaenisch, back in 1972.

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s … a 10-foot-tall shiny silver mosaic Godzilla in North Mankato! Artist Dale Lewis was trained as an electrical technician and machinist, and after leaving the industry he ended up making mosaic sculptures full time. Lewis’ “Godzilla” is a fun, massive reptilian force that Lewis felt inspired to make after watching the fictional film. The sculpture is near the Marigold Building, 200 Belgrade Av., North Mankato.