I had 60 acres of art and trails to myself when I visited Caponi Art Park for a hike Sunday. The park was built by Anthony Caponi beginning in 1950 as a home for his young family and a studio for making his huge stone and metal sculptures. The whole park is a sculpture, every bit of it -- house, studio, sculptures, and the grounds -- built by Caponi himself.
The park is steep and hilly and filled with huge old growth trees. As I walked through this corridor lined with towering pines, I thought, this seems like a good place to see a deer. No sooner had I had the thought than I heard a startling snort and a big buck leaped from his bed under the pines and took off through the woods!
This 3-dimensional mural, The Lady of Pompeii, lines a walkway. It depicts an archeological dig, as if the figures have been partially excavated from the volcanic ash.
A truly generous man, Caponi gave these 60 acres to a non-profit agency and the city of Eagan a few years ago. He is an old man now and he and his wife still live in the modest house that he built himself into a hillside in the center of the park. There is a schedule of plays and music in the natural outdoor amphitheater, and art lessons in the studio, all free and open to the public. Caponi's sculptures can be found in cities and churches in the Midwest.
Thank you for reading my blog. I enjoy your comments and will be by to visit your blog in return.
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A generous man indeed. I'm truly humbled x
ReplyDeleteIndeed a very generous man, what a great park and some beautiful sculptures.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fabulous place! Especially love the Lady of Pompeii
ReplyDeleteI like the leggy ones that look like giant spiders. What an amazing life being well lived it seems in the midst of these creations. There is nothing dull about someone who can imagine all this and showcase the work in such a natural setting.
ReplyDeleteWhat an amazing place and what a brilliant artist!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a really interesting place and great that the wildlife such as deer feel comfortable resting there. The old growth trees are really magnificent. Great photos.
ReplyDeleteHaving been to Pompeii, I'm fascinated with the sculpture of the woman of pompeii. What a lovely setting and some very unusual metal art objects.
ReplyDeleteWhat a place ! What beautiful sculptures and what a lovely way to spend a Sunday photographing the beauty ~ Great shots!
ReplyDeleteHappy Week to you!
artmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)
Cynthia it is very interesting park. I hope ir is a pleasure top walk there. The most interesting sculptures are made of metal and probably needs renovation.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great sculpture park, but where was everyone?
ReplyDeleteHow marvelous Cynthia… such wondrous sculptures and a beautiful day to explore the grounds. I do hope you will participate in the Gratitude Quilt this year. No sewing necessary… look at the top of my blog for instructions:-)
ReplyDeleteWhat a generous contribution he made to the community.
ReplyDeleteSome interesting works there.
ReplyDeleteI keep telling myself that I need to go to this park; lots of talent on display there. You included photos that show a wide variety of art.
ReplyDeleteWhat a find. I love this post. I had never heard of Caponi, so you taught me something.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great park to have to yourself. The sculptures are interesting and so too the story of generous Caponi.
ReplyDeleteWhat a superb place and how lucky to have it to yourself. It must have been strange for children to grow up in a place like this and then find that the rest of us live in such a different way.
ReplyDeleteI like some of the art which you have shown. A nice place for a walk.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great resource. An interesting variety of sculptures.
ReplyDeleteSo glad to read your post about the art park. I have not been there in the autumn. It was good to see it through your lens. And . . . if you ever want company looking for the stone from the Castle of Rouen, I could meet you and show you where it is . . . on a Thursday or Friday. You have my email address. Peace!
ReplyDeleteWhat a nice place to have a walk there. The owner collected a lot of art, it looks great in nature.
ReplyDeleteYou do find some of the nicest places to walk.
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