Bemidji Sculpture Walk adds 19 new sculptures downtown

Downtown Bemidji picked up 19 new egg-themed sculptures in early June, giving the city’s Sculpture Walk another visible boost in the heart of Beltrami County. Installed by board members and volunteers, the additions extend a public art program that has spent 27 years turning downtown sidewalks into an open-air gallery and summer destination.

The Bemidji Sculpture Walk says it has promoted public art in Bemidji since 1999 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, making it one of Minnesota’s oldest public art sculpture galleries. Public listings say more than two dozen sculptures and murals are on display downtown year-round, with new works added annually and some pieces staying for two to three years while others become part of a permanent collection.

That mix is part of what keeps the walk in motion. The organization says it works to secure, display, maintain and sometimes sell sculptures in downtown Bemidji, while also positioning the program as a draw for downtown businesses and tourism. The new pieces are meant to keep people moving through the business district, where the walk has become both a visual identity marker and a reason to linger near local shops, restaurants and institutions.

The 2026 installations also come with a more detailed layer of interpretation. The Sculpture Walk is adding QR-code labels so visitors can learn more about each work, the artist and purchase information. Some sculptures may still be added through raffle fundraising, keeping the project active well beyond the early-June installation push.

The walk’s summer programming adds another way to experience the collection. The organization offers one-hour guided walking tours every other Sunday, with local history and architecture woven into the route. Visit Bemidji describes the sculpture program as a downtown showcase for area artists, refreshed with new works every year, while Explore Minnesota and other tourism outlets have long pointed to the walk as a summer attraction.

With 19 new sculptures now in place, the Sculpture Walk is again doing what Bemidji has asked of it for nearly three decades: make downtown more walkable, more recognizable and more likely to pull people past the storefronts that depend on steady summer foot traffic.