Photo Credit: Public Art NOLA  (New Orleans, LA)

Public Art 

Outside, accessible and often created with a sense of place.  Public art gives you a glimpse of the soul of a community. Want to really get to know the people of the Great River Road?  Check out their public art.

 ~Minnesota~

Franconia Sculpture Park (Shafer, MN)

43 acre outdoor sculpture park. Exciting and intriguing with ever changing exhibitions hosting forty artists a year.

Minneapolis Sculpture Garden (Minneapolis, MN)

More than forty works of sculpture and called the crown jewel of the city’s park system, I’d have to agree.

 ~Wisconsin~

Dickyville Grotto (Dickyville, WI)

In the 1920’s a Catholic priest built this grotto out of stone, motor, and brightly colored objects. Guided tours of the folk art is available in the summer, free to visit but donations accepted.

Prairie Moon Sculpture Garden (Cochrane, WI)

You’ll see concrete sculptures that include a Rocket to the Stars, a Hindu temple, dinosaurs, even a miniature mountain. The artist worked on the garden until age 100.

~Iowa~

Self-Guided Tour (Bettendorf, IA)

A few of these pieces you’ll find across the water in Rock Island. The Quad Cities have some great outdoor artwork to check out.

Art on the River (Dubuque, IA)

Take a stroll along the river and enjoy! Even in the winter things are happening with a snow sculpture competition.

~Illinois~

Yarn Bombing (Alton, IL)

You’ve probably seen yarn bombing before, but Alton’s downtown takes it to a whole new level!

West Street Sculpture Park (Galena, IL)

Outdoor gallery of steel structures, a modern approach to outdoor art.

 ~Missouri~

Public Art (St. Louis, MO)

St. Louis has an incredible amount of public art. Where to start? Best bet, choose a region and hit the streets.

Clayton Public Art (Clayton, MO)

This suburb of St.Louis has world class public art structures by artists you might just recognize.

~Kentucky~

Wall to Wall Murals (Paducah, KY)

Once voted Kentucky’s most popular tourist attraction, these life sized paintings on this city’s floodwall (created by the Dafford Murals Team) is worth the quick jaunt off the River Road.

~Tennessee~

Broad Avenue Arts District (Memphis, TN)

This arts district lives up to it’s name with eclectic outdoor public art, from murals to sculptures to the funky water tower that rises above it.

Germantown Public Art Promenade (Germantown, TN)

This suburb of Memphis has a public park with an art walk. Some pieces may even be for sale.

~ARKANSAS~

Helena Levee Walls Blues Mural (Helena, AR)

The history of the Blues on a sea wall.

Blytheville Mural (Blytheville, AR)

The mural presents the town history in four panels.

~Mississippi~

Riverfront Murals (Vicksburg, MS)

32 murals at the riverfront that depict the history of Vicksburg.

~Louisiana~

Public Art (Baton Rouge, LA)

Hard to choose! The Museum of Public Art murals, the Walls Project, the downtown sculptures? Best to make time for it all.

New Orleans Public Art Tour (New Orleans, LA)

A map of the coolest sculptures and murals to be seen in New Orleans!