Location: 50th Street Station
Title: Tree Canopy
Artist: Karen Wirth
Material: Silkscreened glass
Images of tree branches spreading from a central location on glass canopies of station.
This work, appearing on the canopies of both platforms, represents tree branches when looking up and creates tree shadows on the platform when sunny.
The artwork at 50th Street/Minnehaha Park Station is based on the natural world of Minnehaha Park that is located along the light rail line. The park was officially named Minnehaha State Park when it was purchased by Minneapolis for the state of Minnesota in 1889. The name Minnehaha comes from words in the Dakota language that mean waterfall. The popular translation of "laughing waters" comes from a too literal translation of "ha ha".
Minnehaha Falls and the land surrounding it was one of the first state parks in the United States when it was purchased. Only New York had created a state park at that time. But the state of Minnesota only paid for the park indirectly and never had a hand in maintaining it. The city of Minneapolis put up the money to buy it and managed it from the beginning.
