Public art collection and conservation

Learn about our collection of public artworks and how we care for them.

Minneapolis public art collection

The City owns a collection of public art located across Minneapolis. This art was created by artists starting in the 1980’s. Today the City owns over 100 individual artworks.

Conservation and care

Maintaining the artwork in the City is important to us.

You can see our:

Take a tour

You can get directions to all public art in Minneapolis and read the details about each artwork.

Take a tour online or in-person

 

Artist Laura Kubick touching up her mosaic art.

Conservation and care

Approach

The City:

  • Every spring, checks the collection condition of the artwork
  • Facilitates routine maintenance or major conservation
  • Works with professional art conservators to care for the art
  • Works with conservators to review new designs to make sure they are durable

The adopted City public art policies guide the care on artworks.

Read these policies

Annual care

Each spring, art conservators recommend how to care for the art during the year. 

Care includes:

  • Graffiti removal
  • Rust removal
  • Paint touch ups
  • Small repairs

The Minneapolis Arts Commission approves the maintenance plan for the collection every year.

Get details about the Arts Commission

Major conservation

We do major conservation when artwork has:

  • Has declined over many years
  • Experienced serious damage

This type of artwork damage can be from: 

  • Car accidents
  • Corrosion
  • Serious weather
  • Vandalism

Repairs can take a long time to finish depending on the amount of damage.

To report damage to art, including graffiti, contact Talia Moorman.

Artworks undergoing major conservation

The Field: Drinking Fountain

by Lisa Elias

Location

Original: Nineth St. S. and Second Ave. S.

New: Nicollet Mall between 10th and 11th Streets

 

Reason

The City removed this sculpture to make room for a new housing project

Conservation work

  • Conservators will repaint it
  • City plumbers will update the plumbing

Completion

Expected: 2026

Three Forms: The Lake Street Bubbler

by Gita Ghei, Sara Hanson, and Jan Louise Kusske

Location

Original: E Lake Street and 22nd Ave S, near the YWCA

New: To be selected

Reason

This artwork was vandalized and portions of it were stolen.

Conservation work

  • Replace stolen portions
  • Make repairs

Completion

Expected: 2027

Recent major conservation

Harrison Gateway: Antoinette and James

by Jane Frees-Kluth in 1994

Reason

A vehicle hit this artwork causing serious damage.

Conservation work

Art conservators and the City's Public Work department:

  • Removed the sculpture
  • Repaired the bronze statue
  • Poured a new footing and installed the repaired statue

Completion

Repairs took a full year to complete.

Before

Harrison art sculpture leaning left with broken base.

After

Harrison sculpture upright with base fixed after conservation.

Contact us

Talia Moorman

Arts and Cultural Affairs Department

Email Talia Moorman

Phone

612-673-2149

Address

Public Service Building
505 Fourth Ave. S., Room 510
Minneapolis, MN 55415