Minneapolis Institute of Art

The collection is good in general; the Asian collection is very big and includes a lot of interior expositors like different rooms in traditional homes. There are modern art expositions as well as classical ones and all together they complete the very thorough united place. There are also a lot of activities for kids offered.

Free street parking, free to get in to the museum, free coat check, friendly retired volunteers offered my kids a free scavenger hunt with a free gift from the museum at the end. My 11 and 9 year old were completely engaged in the art and completing the scavenger hunt, learning new terms in the process. The free gift was three free postcards so the kids looked at their favorite art on the postcards all the way home. Can I think of a more perfect afternoon to spend with the kids? Nope.

Free admission, free coat check, free parking nearby if you’re willing to walk a few blocks. Pretty dang rad. Maybe not quite five stars, but four stars felt too low so here we are.
The museum is fairly massive and has everything from ancient Asian art to new works. The rooms wind back in on themselves so like many art museums, I feel like I probably managed to miss whole swaths of things. If I’ve got an afternoon to kill on my own and find myself in Minneapolis, I’ll bust out my map and cross off rooms while I go.
There aren’t as many heavy hitters as the Met or the Art Institute of Chicago, but you can get up close and personal with Lichtenstein, Warhol, Monet, and Seurat.
There’s something for everyone, but the Asian art seems to be their wheelhouse. This doesn’t align with my personal passions, but the recreated rooms were pretty cool.
MIA is definitely worth devoting a morning or afternoon to — just be sure to wear comfy shoes so you can take it all in.

I spent 3 hours in this lovely museum today. I literally got lost in the mazes of art, spanning centuries and the globe. This museum deserves to be revisited as often as possible: the galleries seem never-​ending, but rich with quality. It’s free, but please drop some green in the donation box so we can keep this gem around.

One of our many great museums in Minneapolis. Open 7 days a week to the public, for free. I go here to get my art fix and engage my brain! It is possible to get lost inside all the space here, I’ve done it. I typically will always go see the Kehinde Wiley painting, Buddha sculptures, Native American clothing, pop culture and photography areas. This past time, I took a liking to this shiny cloak made entirely of dog tags.
Since it was free 3^rd Thursday of the month, we had to take advantage of getting our pic taken in the snowball photobooth. We also scheduled to see Delacroix exhibit. This happens to be the exhibit on display until January 10^th. I learned quite a bit about Delacroix and how he greatly influenced so many other well known artists of his time. Sadly, he was not someone I learned about as a student. This exhibit has a free audio tour, paintings, short movie and some paintings of those he influenced. I enjoyed the use of colors in his impressionist paintings what were somewhat exotic for his time.
*Don’t forget to stop in their amazing gift shop. It is a bit pricey, but just brose through and smile.

What can I say… No admission fee? Warm and helpful staff? Labyrinths of art that range from eccentric modern pieces to classical sculptures? Check check check!
Also, the Delacroix exhibit is impressive! That part wasn’t free, but you could definitely get the same awe factor from the permanent European exhibits they house.

My previous job brought me here. My supervisor wanted me to take clients here for an activity. So glad admission is free. We walked around and looked at Chinese art. Kinda boring but also neat. Stopped at overpriced gift shop but didn’t buy anything. A person could get lost due to most of the pottery looking the same. Only was on Chinese pottery floor. Will I return? Yes.

Had a great FREE trip through the museum. Can’t beat free. I haven’t been here for a few years and came to see the newly donated Japanese collections. There were some really nice pieces from one collector…
There was also ukiyo-​e (woodblock prints) in another exhibit that was pretty cool. I really liked the Ito Shinsui pieces.
In the photography section they are celebrating 100 years by having a photograph from each year that they’ve been open. Some of the pictures were amazing.
Great afternoon

The Institute is HUGE and its FREE. I spent an hour during my first visit and hand an opportunity to explore about 20 percent of the exhibit space. Many of the exhibits are of historical artwork, but they’re some of the best historical collections that I’ve ever seen. In fact, the gallery of Japanese artwork — which I didn’t intend to like upon entering, has become a favorite spot. The large, peaceful Japanese scrolls from the 1600’s are a place where I can get lost. The place is Zen. Literally. I also unexpectedly discovered the history of ceramic pillows. Much of the pottery designed centuries ago aligns with contemporary styles in surprising ways. There are many large installments of Japanese halls, houses and a tea room. Enough said?
A favorite find during my visit was the lobster-​shaped fantasy coffin on exhibit. I enjoyed the whimsy that it represents at a difficult time in people’s lives. I’ve looking into this practice more since visiting MIA. The reason that mainly the southern Ghana-​based Ga people use such elaborate coffins for their funerals is explained by their religious beliefs regarding the afterlife. They believe that death is not the end and that life continues in the next world in the same way it did on earth. Ancestors are also thought to be much more powerful than the living and able to influence their relatives who are still alive. This is why families do everything they can to ensure that a dead person is sympathetic towards them as early as possible. The social status of the deceased depends primarily on the importance, success and usage of an exclusive coffin during a burial.
I can’t believe how peaceful and undiscovered the Minneapolis Institute of Art feels. If you’re looking for a place to ponder, learn and wander, I can’t imagine a better place — particularly in the Winter. There are excellent places for sketching (allowed), enjoying coffee, and exploring artwork you’d ordinarily miss or overlook. Can’t wait to go back and visit the 3^rd floor gallery of contemporary art.

This is an excellent museum, which did not surprise me in the least after reading a few descriptions of recent exhibits. Free admission is a huge plus but even if it were a far cry from free I’d still feel equally enthusiastic! So much to see, we didn’t make it through everything on our visit. Great mix and beautifully curated, with some unique and unusual areas to explore. Definitely check it out! We found free parking just down the street but there seems to be a wealth of moderately priced lots nearby for busier times. «A Photograph for Every Year of MIA» was my favorite exhibit, but it’s hard to describe over 100 gorgeous photos… so just go!

This place is absolutely enormous. Just looking at the museum maps, it doesn’t seem that big. But once you’re inside and start browsing, it feels quite endless. I would recommend budgeting at least four hours for MIA. We were only there for two hours and it felt like I could only see one gallery in detail and had to run through the others.
MIA contains a wide variety of artwork, sculpture, historical artifacts, and interesting objects. It will suit everyone no matter their taste. Just don’t get lost, as there are a LOT of rooms and galleries despite most of the artwork only being on two floors.

Definitely a stop if you are in Minneapolis. It has the heroes you would expect and some really interesting exhibits.

A surprisingly robust and beautiful collection considering it’s location (Minneapolis, MN? who would have thunk?), but seriously this is one of the best museums I’ve been to considering that it’s FREE. The range of art here is incredible — everything from African masks to Chinese tapestries to the European classics to one of the best modern art sections I’ve seen in a really long time. I highly recommend anyone visiting the city stop in here for a few hours — you will not regret it!

What a great museum! It is such a wonderful gem! Grounds are not too big but they have some beautiful collections.
Membership is FREE, so definitely sign up!

Amazing free museum full of art from all over the world.
I particularly enjoyed the Japanese and Native American sections, truly interesting and descriptive: I learned a lot and I had fun!
Great place, will be back!

THE BEST ART MUSEUM I HAVE EVER BEEN TO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.
First of all, it is FREE.
Second of all, they have so many different types of art that there is sure to be something here that speaks to you.
The art was so incredible. Just so moving and incredible.
The architecture is so interesting and cool and it was just such a joy to walk around in here. I wasn’t bored even a little bit at any moment.
And their gift shop… Oh my God their gift shop…

The museum is amazing!
It’s very big. One day is definitely not enough if you want to enjoy and see everything. I would start from the 3^rd (last) floor and work my way down.
Oh and there are iPads everywhere with information about all the art works in the museum
There’s a nice deli style restaurant where the
selection of food is not so big but everything is organic and tasty.
The people who work there are very nice and helpful too. The museum is free but if you can make a donation :)

Very nice museum that is well worth the short taxi ride ($ 8) or 1 mile walk from downtown. Free admission to the MIA plus a stunning view of Minneapolis’s skyline make this a priority destination if you are in town for a conference and have limited time (i.e., a few hours) for sightseeing.
I would recommend visiting in the morning and starting your visit on the top floor to avoid crowds. There’s a lot to see — I found it more easy to walk around the perimeter of the museum to get an overview before moving to the interior of the building. Highlights on the top floor included works by Frank Lloyd Wright and other disciples of the Prairie School of architecture (founded by Louis Sullivan) and a beautiful vista of downtown Minneapolis (weather permitting) that includes an interesting list of erection dates and names of architect (s) behind the design of some skyscrapers. Who knew that Cesar Pelli and Phillip Johnson were involved in some building designs?
Moving down to the 2^nd floor, I found the Asian art collection to be outstanding. The overview of Chinese, Korean, and Japanese art was informative in revealing the subtle differences and shared influences in ceramic design. I also enjoyed seeing the impressionist art of Van Gogh and Henri Matisse. If you’re hungry for lunch, the 1^st floor café has sandwiches and nice salads. And there’s a kid’s play area in a glass-​enclosed room that is just around the corner from the café. Gift shop was cute, but many items seemed expensive (perhaps as a strategy to raise revenue due to the lack of fees for admission). Although I came to the MIA by taxi to save time, I would recommend walking back to the downtown area if you have time and the weather is nice.

Great, great, GREAT museum. But wait, it just got a little better… free admission!
I’m sure there’s someone out there that enjoys all exhibits equally. For me it boils down to the Monets, Manets, Renoir, Gauguin, Degas, etc. But I also love the American artists Grant Woods, Remington, Georgia O’Keeffe, etc. All represented. Lots of other exhibits we really enjoyed like the photography and some modern sculpture work.
Bottom line: if you’re the kind of person that likes spending a few hours in an art museum, this is an oasis in the Northland, a real national class museum that’s well organized, well run, and a lot of fun to visit. Honestly, you could spend an entire day here and not really delve very deeply into what’s here. It’s that big.
Just one more thing making Minneapolis a real destination to visit. My opinion.

I love a good art gallery. I love it even more when it is free of charge.
MIA was a great destination on a recent trip to the twin cities. The permanent collection here is large and interesting. There’s almost too much to see in one visit. There are some great pieces by well known European greats, American Icons and lesser known talents. I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
The Hapsburg exhibit was a great experience too. I loved learning about this icon family/​empire which paid great patronage to the arts. Visiting exhibits cost extra — so be prepared if you’re coming for that.
The location is beautiful. The campus and nearby park were inviting even in early spring with a chill still in the air. We stayed downtown, but found it easily accessible by bus.
I can’t wait to visit again!

I love the fact its free and beautifull I mean GUYS PERFECT DATE IF YOU A CHEAP A** kidding great date place! I love the art and this thing is huge like what 3 floors!
When I went they had Mexican Asian American and Europian history they also have private section which of course you pay to get it I didn’t go I like my things free!
I believe they also offer free tours for the place I believe I over heard it on the intercom while I was browsing in the gift shop store hehehe shopping is like in my DNA so mistake me if I am wrong if the tour is free
The gift shop is pretty pricey but have beautiful stuff in there I was going to get this super nice bag but right away my man was like «PUT IT DOWN» lol he knows I will drop serious cash every where lol
Overrall I like this place a lot super cool

I am not the type of person who will read the informational panel on every single piece when I’m in a museum. But when I am at the MIA, I find myself slowing down and seeking out the little descriptions because the stuff is so darn interesting. This is a FREE thing to do that can easily occupy a full half-​day or full day even, depending on what you do. It has a wide variety of items from all kinds of time periods. It ranges from modern to ancient and is really fascinating because of that.
I also absolutely adore the Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit, which includes model houses and an actual room with all the fixtures as he designed them. I think it’s completely fascinating.
Also, if you’re a newcomer to the area, I highly recommend the big picture window with a prime view of the Minneapolis skyline. There’s a really cool display that tells you what all the buildings are. It’s a great orientation if you have moved here from outside the area.
Let me just put a plug in for dropping some dollars in the donation box as you enter or leave.