Roadside Art

Posted at 11:09 AM on November 10, 2009 by Marianne Combs (2 Comments)
Filed under: Public Art

My colleague Dan Gunderson, who reports for MPR up in the Fargo-Moorhead area, sent me some photos a while back. Dan drives around the region alot for his stories, and on his drives he's seen some strange things. Things like a telephone booth in the middle of nowhere, with a mannequin in it.

Photo taken by MPR's Dan Gunderson on a county road in the Sebeka area.

So what's the story behind this piece? Is it the expression of a rural dweller trying to connect with the world? Or is that Superman in there with the flowery dress and hat? And who's on the other end of the line?

Here's another one; this time it appears to be a Minotaur playing football.

Metal sculpture along highway 32, just south of Middle River. Photo by MPR's Dan Gunderson.

While I went straight to Greek mythology when I saw this one, Dan says he thinks the artist is more likely a Vikings fan. What do you think?

Finally, a less mysterious but just as visually grabbing work:

MPR's Dan Gunderson says he shot this picture on the south edge of Foley at the intersection of two well traveled highways. It's located on the grounds of what appears to be a storage area for construction equipment.

My immediate question was "do those fan-blade-like parts move? And when they do, do they make noise?" And what's a passer-by supposed to make of this piece? Is that a nice smile, or a menacing one?

If you know anything about these county road creations, let me know. And your interpretations of the works are also welcome. Got your own piece of roadside art you'd like to share? Send us a pic and we'll put it up.

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Comments (2)

my son Karl Friedrich has many pieces of his sculptures in my yard in Rochester, MN- they can be seen at karlfriedrich.com

Posted by wanda friedrich | November 10, 2009 3:06 PM

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On 210 in Vining, MN is a little park next to a gas station which has a whole bunch of steel sculptures, including an elephant made of lawnmower blades and a bunch of other awesome things. My family does a lot of driving around (a combination of dispersed family, a love of farm auctions, and a dislike of sitting still) and nearly every time we are out and about, somebody gasps and points, making me quickly find a safe place to turn around and go back to check out whatever it is. There's so many creative people in ND, MN, and WI, everywhere from public parks to store advertisements to front yards, that leave their mark on the roadside.

Posted by Azrael Brown | November 14, 2009 5:36 PM

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