Finding Minnesota: Franconia Sculpture Park

FRANCONIA TOWNSHIP, Minn. (WCCO) – You've heard the expression, "Go big or go home."

About an hour north of the metro, there's a home where sculptors stay for weeks or months at a time and definitely get the chance to "go big."

The ambitious, oversized artworks they come up with create an ever-changing landscape at the Franconia Sculpture Park, a monumental attraction that's free to visit.

For nearly 20 years, emerging artists from around the world have been challenging imaginations there in big ways.

Paul Howe, 28, is a sculptor from Long Island, New York. This week, he had the help of a crane to lift his latest work into place.

It's a 22-foot tower that will eventually hold a large dangling log that Howe will chop into pieces with an axe, as a piece of performance art.

"I designed this and I drew it all from scratch," Howe said, "and I made a proposal and I won a grant to do it, and it's been on my mind since January."

Howe first arrived at Franconia as an intern in 2008, and now lives and works full-time on the property.

"We have an opportunity to make big stuff out here," he said. "We have the space. You have a community of people also making large things, so there's a lot of help."

Each year, only a select few artists earn grants and fellowships to stay in the nine-bedroom residence known as White House.

They stay anywhere from three weeks to three months, as long as it takes to create something memorable.

John Hock, the artistic director/CEO, has been with Franconia from the beginning. He and the other founders wanted a big creative space where visitors could talk with artists as they work.

Franconia also offers arts learning opportunities.

"Some of [the sculptures] you interact with," Hock said. "Some of them are durable and climbable and meant to be interactive."

In the past two years, the park has more than doubled in size. Now, with 43 acres to explore, Hock has a goal of 150,000 visitors in 2016.

"We want them to have a good experience, something that would broaden their horizons," he said.

The look of the park changes each year, as they add about 30 new statues. But then, another 30 statues leave the park each year, when they're sold or just moved to a different location.

It's free to visit Franconia, year-round, but they're a non-profit so they appreciate any support they can get.

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