Minneapolis Official Visitors Guide - Fall/Winter 2007 - (Page 32) MUSEUMS Science Museum of Minnesota Bakken Museum Minnesota Children’s Museum With 57 museums showcasing everything from Egyptian artifacts to Swedish heritage, you’re bound to find a niche. M inneapolis-Saint Paul has more museums than any other metro area outside of Chicago and Washington, D.C. Start by exploring a local gallery, then play with a hands-on exhibit before heading outside to admire the architecture of these museums. But our museums don’t just display works of art; they are works of art. Many notable architects and designers have made their mark on the remodeled museums around the cities. Designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Herzog & de Meuron, the 260,000-square-foot Walker Art Center is a dream home to the world’s most pioneering artists. Highlights include new galleries and gardens for the museum’s growing collection and a restaurant created by Wolfgang Puck. Another daring design can be seen in curvy, stainless steel exterior of the University of Minnesota’s Weisman Art Museum. Designed by Frank Gehry, who went on to create Spain’s celebrated Guggenheim Bilbao, the Weisman boasts “five of the most gorgeous galleries on earth,” according to The New York Times. Plans are currently underway to bring back Gehry for a $10 million expansion, adding more gallery space and a café. The Minneapolis Institute of Arts also recently underwent expansions. Here, art lovers can explore virtually 5,000 years of world history through an encyclopedic collection of Rembrandt paintings, Greek sculptures and one of the nation’s largest displays of classical Chinese art and architecture, to name just a few highlights. To fit its ever-increasing collection, the museum recently added an 113,000-square-foot wing designed by Michael Graves. The high-class museum space doesn’t stop there. The Museum of Russian Art and Minnesota History Center both 32 boast beautiful exteriors and tons of gallery space. And kids won’t have to hold back at the Science Museum of Minnesota, Minnesota Children’s Museum or the Bakken Library and Museum, where hands-on learning is wholly encouraged. MINI ITINERARY MORNING: Don’t let the name steer you away; get your fill of eggs and toast at the Bad Waitress Diner and Coffee Shop, then walk a few short blocks to the expanded Minneapolis Institute of Arts and catch the exhibit Georgia O’Keeffe: Circling Around Abstraction. NOON: African, Middle Eastern, Mexican—a world of menus await along Eat Street on Nicollet Avenue for lunch. Then learn about the heritage of many Minnesotans at the American Swedish Institute. As the state is home the second highest number of Swedish-Americans, this 33-room castle is a popular stop. NIGHT: Tour the new-and-improved Walker Art Center to expand your ideas about the meaning of art (open late on Thursdays and Fridays)—then round out your day with a world-class feast at Wolfgang Puck’s posh 20.21 restaurant in the Walker’s silver wing. FREEBIE: Explore the galleries of the University of Minnesota’s Bell Museum of Natural History, which was established in 1872 to collect, preserve, and display our state’s diverse animal and plant life. The museum is free on Sundays. Minneapolis&Saint Paul Fall/Winter 2008 P H O T O © 2 0 0 6 T H E G E O R G I A O ’ K E E F F E F O U N D AT I O N / A R T I S T S R I G H T S S O C I E T Y ( A R S ) , N E W Y O R K ; P H O T O © 2 0 0 7 B A N C O D E M É X I C O D I E G O R I V E R A & F R I D A K A H L O M U S E U M S T R U S T F R O M T O P L ) : P H O T O © E X P L O R E M I N N E S O TA T O U R I S M ; P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E A M E R I C A N S W E D I S H I N S T I T U T E ; P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E M I N N E S O TA H I S T O R I C A L S O C I E T Y; T H I S PA G E ( L - R ) : P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E S C I E N C E M U S E U M O F M I N N E S O TA ; P H O T O C O U R T E S Y O F T H E B A K K E N M U S E U M ; P H O T O B Y D AV E T U R N E R . O P P O S I T E ( C L O C K W I S E MUSEUMS
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