Shaping the City

Architects Shape the New Minneapolis, an ongoing program organized by the Weisman Art Museum with the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis Institute of the Arts, Children's Theatre Company, Guthrie Theater, American Institute of Architects-MN, and the Minneapolis Public Library, makes evident the changing face of the Midwestern city.



Projects and architects include:

Walker Art Center expansion by Herzog & de Meuron,
new Guthrie Theater by Jean Nouvel,
Minneapolis Institute of the Arts and Children's Theatre Company expansions by Michael Graves,
Minneapolis Central Library by Cesar Pelli,
Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum by Frank Gehry.

The Minneapolis Public Library has a series of web pages with valuable links, books and resources, beginning with "The Artistic Dividend: The Hidden Contributions of Architecture and the Arts to the Regional Economy" and continuing to the individual architects.

As much as the word NEW, as in the New Minneapolis, seems like a marketing ploy, it indicates an overt attempt by the city to use bold architecture to not only bring attention to the area but change the lives of inhabitants. Using culture and other public facilities to reshape the city is becoming common, but the scale and simultaneity of these projects make Minneapolis a place to watch in the coming years.