“Wouldn’t you rather have someone come into town and spend some time looking at the park than just get some food and drive on through?” Using that line of reasoning, Cultural Center founder John Davis convinced the City of New York Mills that a sculpture park at the intersection of County Road 67 and Minnesota Highway 10, would be better than having a fast-food restaurant.

Anchored by Vining MN artist Ken Nyberg’s monumental tractor sculpture (the world’s largest!), a twenty-foot tall three ton replica of the Regional Cultural Center’s logo, the park is partially surrounded by an 850 foot fence of yellow threaded rod curved into various organic forms. And don’t miss the sculpted yellow corn cobs on top of each fence post, which were created as part of an interactive community project in the late 1990s.

Artists from across the country have contributed their work over the years, making the sculpture park a must see along the long, lonely road that is US Highway 10.
When Davis said, “everyone should have access to the arts” he no doubt had the New York Mills Sculpture Park in mind. The Sculpture Park is an example of how the City of New York Mills has embraced the arts as a way to drive economic development and tourism in the community. The Park is owned by the City, and the Cultural Center manages the sculptures and hosts community events including concerts and family-friendly art festivals and events. This unique partnership has proven to be key to the continued success of these public art experiences in NYM.

In 2016, “The Barn” was added to the Sculpture Park as a shelter accessible to all who visit the Park to get some shade or use the restrooms, and as a unique place to rent for events such as graduation open houses, birthday parties, or class reunions.

The Barn was an idea of local resident Bob Sonnenberg, owner of Sonnenberg Tree Farm located just a few miles north of the park. Bob worked with the City and Cultural Center to make plans, fundraise, and manage the construction of the Barn.

In 2018, a grain bin converted to be an open air gazebo shelter was added to the Park. This unique structure rounded out the farming theme, with the Barn, tractor, and grain bin shelter being the three largest structures visitors see when stopping at the Park.

When asked why he was so passionate about working to get The Barn and Grain Bin added to the Park, Bob responded “The Cultural Center’s mission over the past 25 years has been to bring the arts to the rural community; now we have The Barn to bring the rural community to the arts.”