Museums in Minneapolis – Saint Paul – Virtual Tour

The cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul are commonly known as the Twin Cities due to their geographical proximity. Minneapolis sits mostly on the west side of the Mississippi River, and Saint Paul sits mainly on the east side of the river.

Minneapolis was influenced by its early Scandinavian and Lutheran heritage, while Saint Paul was influenced by its early French, Irish, and German Catholic roots.

Today, the Twin Cities metro and their surrounding suburbs contain about 3.6 million people, making it the 16th-largest metropolitan area in the United States.

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Minneapolis is the largest city in Minnesota and home to five Fortune 500 companies, and the Twin Cities are the fifth-largest hub of major corporate headquarters in the United States.

Minneapolis is noted for its strong music, performing arts scenes, and museums. The Walker Art Center is one of the largest modern art museums in the U.S., and the Minneapolis Institute of Art is the largest art museum in the city.

The Weisman Art Museum opened in 1993, and the Museum of Russian Art opened in a restored church in 2005, and the Northeast Minneapolis Arts District is one of the nation’s renowned art districts.

Saint Paul, Minnesota

Saint Paul is the capital of Minnesota, established near an existing Dakota Sioux settlements in 1849. The establishment and the building of a log chapel named St. Paul lent its name to the town and future city.

Regionally, Saint Paul is known for the Science Museum of Minnesota and hosts several museums, including the University of Minnesota’s Goldstein Museum of Design, the Minnesota Children’s Museum, the Minnesota Museum of American Art, the Minnesota History Center, the Minnesota Transportation Museum, and many other museums.

Bénédiction des thoniers à Groix by Paul Signac, 1923 – Minneapolis, Institute of Art

Virtual Tour of the Museums in Minneapolis – Saint Paul

Olive Trees by Vincent van Gogh – Minneapolis Institute of Arts

Highlights Tour of the Museums in Minneapolis – Saint Paul

Minneapolis Institute of Art

The Minneapolis Institute of Art has over 90,000 works of art representing 5,000 years of world history. Its collection represents the world’s diverse cultures across six continents.

The Minneapolis Society of Fine Arts was established in 1883, and its Beaux-Arts architecturally styled building opened in 1915.

Several additions have subsequently been built, and in 2015 the Institute rebranded itself to become the Minneapolis Institute of Art and has adopted the nickname, Mia.

The museum features a comprehensive collection of objects and features regular exhibitions from other museums for display.

The Museum Library contains more than 60,000 volumes on art and art history.

Walker Art Center

The Walker Art Center is a modern and contemporary art museum adjacent to the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. The museum’s collection includes over 13,000 artworks, including costumes, drawings, media works, paintings, photography, prints, and sculpture.

The Walker Art Gallery was established in 1927 and became the Walker Art Center in 1940. The Walker’s building opened in 1971 and was expanded in 2005.

The museums’ visual arts program includes collection exhibitions and the commissioning of works from artists plus residencies for artists.

Live performance art is also part of Walker’s programming, and it has commissioned performances ranging from performance art, theater, dance, spoken word, and music.

This performance art focus has included collecting sculptures, sets, costumes, and other works by artists involved in the museum’s performance arts.

Weisman Art Museum

The Weisman Art Museum is located at the University of Minnesota and was founded in 1934. The museum is known for its modern art; however, its collection includes a 25,000+ images collection, Native American pottery, and traditional Korean furniture.

The collection of traditional Korean furniture includes about 200 examples of Choson dynasty (1392–1910) furniture, 80 Silla dynasty (668–935 B.C.) stoneware pieces, plus folk paintings and wooden bowls and utensils.

The Museum’s Public Art on Campus Program was established in 1988 and today consists of about 40 public artworks installed on campus. The public art collection is highly visible and adds interest to parks, plazas, and indoor atriums.

The museum building was designed by Frank Gehry and completed in 1993 and is a significant landmark situated on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River.

The abstract structure presents two faces, depending on which side it is viewed. To the south and east, it offers a brick facade that blends with the historic buildings in the surroundings.

To the north and west, it is an abstraction of a fish and waterfall in a curving and angular brushed stainless steel skin.

Mill City Museum

The Mill City Museum focuses on the founding and growth of Minneapolis, especially the flour milling and other industries that used hydropower from Saint Anthony Falls.

The museum opened in 2003, built in the ruins of a mill complex that dates back to the 1870s, on the banks of the Mississippi River.

The unique location of the museum is also its centerpiece exhibit, which is the multistory Flour Tower. A freight elevator services different floors of the building to explore the workings of a flour mill.

In 1991 a fire nearly destroyed the old mill, but the Minnesota Historical Society announced plans to construct a milling museum within the ruins. A new building was built with the ruin walls of the 1880 “Washburn A Mill.”

As much of the original building as was possible was retained, including turbine pits, railroad tracks, a train shed, and two engine houses.