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  • The Song of Hiawatha, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem, was inspired by an Ojibwe legend and Minnehaha Falls.
  • Ancient rock art was created by American Indians at Jeffers Petroglyphs Historic Site in Comfrey, Minnesota.
  • Designed by architect Frank Gehry, the Weisman Art Museum is art itself reflecting the sky and river.
  • Nature is everywhere in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden. Artist Deborah Butterfield used found sticks, branches and bark, and cast them into bronze to create Woodrow.
  • The fourth of nine books in the classic Little House children’s literature series, On the Banks of Plum Creek is based on Laura Ingall’s childhood near Walnut Grove, Minnesota.
  • Walter J. Breckenridge’s dioramas at the Bell Museum of Natural History provide a window into the natural world in Minnesota.
  • American artist James Turrell’s Sky Pesher is a free-standing room with a 16-square-foot aperture that frames the sky and provides striking scenes of sunrises, sunsets and the seasons.
  • The Caponi Art Park in Eagan blends the beauty of nature with art throughout the park in creative ways.
  • A signature feature of the Guthrie Theater, the cantilevered "Endless Bridge" provides an overlook of the Mississippi River. The Amber Room on the 9th floor affords another spectacular view.
  • Want to be inspired by nature? Visit a Conservancy preserve in Minnesota such as Bluestem Prairie. Check out our preserve map for inspiring sites around the state.
Nature-Inspired Art
A collection of Minnesota works of art inspired by nature.