Spoonbridge and Cherry, Minneapolis, Guida per visitatori e cosa fare nei dintorni

Spoonbridge and Cherry is a giant outdoor sculpture of a spoon holding a cherry, set in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Made by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, it has become the best-known image of the city's art scene and a favorite spot for photos.

The story behind it

Oldenburg, born in Sweden, and van Bruggen, born in the Netherlands, worked together for years on large-scale versions of ordinary objects. Spoonbridge and Cherry was made for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1988 as a partnership between the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis park system. The spoon arches over a pond like a bridge, and a cherry sits in its bowl.

The artists took an everyday kitchen object and scaled it up until it reads as landscape. The result is playful, but it is also carefully made from steel and aluminum with a painted finish. The garden sits right beside Loring Park, one of the green spaces that give downtown Minneapolis its relaxed, outdoorsy feel.

What to look for

• The curve of the spoon, which rises out of the pond on two points so that it really does look like a small bridge.
• The cherry stem, which acts as a fountain and sends a fine spray of water into the air when it is running.
• The skyline and the surrounding garden, which make the red cherry stand out against the green lawn in summer and the snow in winter.
• The scale of the piece, which is easiest to judge when you see other visitors standing beside the spoon.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 20 to 30 minutes for the sculpture itself, or longer if you want to wander the rest of the garden and its other artworks.
• Go early or late in the day for softer light and fewer people in your photos.
• The garden is outdoors and free to enter, but check current opening hours and whether the fountain is running before you go.
• Loring Park and the Walker Art Center are close by, so it is easy to combine the sculpture with a walk and a museum stop.

See it on a quest

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Loring Park, Minneapolis takes you on foot through this part of the city as one stop in a longer route. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. It suits adults who like a mystery with their sightseeing. One ticket covers the whole group.

Kid Quest: Solve the case of the lost senses in Minneapolis is a good choice if you are travelling with children. You walk from place to place, hear about each one as you reach it, and work out a puzzle from what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.