The Walker Art Center’s wacky and wonderful artist-designed mini golf will return to the museum’s terrace this summer, a location that gives players spectacular views of the Minneapolis skyline. If you’re an architecture fan, you’ll spy such urban icons as the Basilica of St. Mary, Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church (designed by Hewitt and Brown in English Gothic style), the Siah Armajani bridge connecting the Sculpture Garden with Loring Park, and the modern, glass-clad 301 Kenwood residence. Players can also admire the Sculpture Garden from a different perspective, says Annie Gillette Cleveland, the Walker’s marketing and communications chief.
Meanwhile, the game incorporates 10 holes designed by artists who have a sense of humor about contemporary art, she says. Highlights include:
•“Thrillo-Brillo,” by Yousif Del Valle, Tom Loftus, Andrew MacGuffie, Meena Mangalvedhekar, and Amy Toscani, featuring Warhol-esque Brillo boxes to shoot through
•“Block Party,” by Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman, incorporating the vibrant colors of toy blocks into a contemporary fun-house sculpture
•Jordan Hedlund’s “Tale of Two Cities,” which looks like a floor plan of Minnesota with the Mississippi River dividing the state’s well-known shape
“Who doesn’t like to be on the roof at a world-renowned art center playing mini golf?” asks Cleveland. “That’s why this is the cool summer thing to do.”
Skyline Mini Golf 2018 runs through September 2. Tickets can be purchased at the museum’s main lobby desk, near Esker Grove restaurant. Tee times are assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Find out more about the Walker Art Center and Skyline Mini Golf.
