An Outdoor Sanctuary to be #AloneTogether

Franconia Sculpture Park – Shafer, MN

www.franconia.org

Franconia Sculpture Park is a 43 acre sanctuary for pollinators, focusing on the confluence of art and nature in 2020. Now with the pandemic, it has become a sanctuary for people too. Franconia Sculpture Park has the space to allow visitors to keep their distance while they walk the paths and enjoy this outdoor sculpture park.

~SHAFER, MINNESOTA

Photo Credit: “Solar Tree” by 2015 FSP/Jerome Fellow Asia Ward (in background)

~FLORA & FAUNA~

The park is working with ecologists, beekeepers, and farmers to create dedicated areas of the park that will act as bee and butterfly habitats. It’s not just art that occupies these acres, but the plants, insects and animals that ultimately rely on pollinators. While Franconia has put the public programs on hold to educate the public about the art and the flora and fauna; they are still offering ways to learn and explore!

~ONLINE~

While a River Road trip up north to Minnesota, might not be in the cards at the moment. You can still check out Franconia as they’ve launched a free series of online programs. One of them is a semi-weekly “deep dive” into the sculptures of the park with Executive Director and Chief Curator Ginger Porcella. Check it out Mondays and Thursdays through April 23rd on Facebook & Instagram live streams.

~ON LAND~

Franconia is lucky enough to have the space needed to allow visitors to maintain six feet of separation when visiting. The park is still open for you to get some fresh air and art. They do ask that you follow the CDC guidelines, don’t touch the artwork while distancing is still in place, and as long as it is safe to do so, the park will remain open as a sanctuary for visitors to cure cabin fever.

~EXPLORE~

Experience the pre-eminent sculpture park of the Midwest. Offering a wide open spaces to view contemporary sculpture and land art located at 29836 St. Croix Trail in Shafer, Minnesota. Free and open to the public 365 days a year from dawn to the dusk.