The Humphrey Garden

Siah Armajani (born 1939, Teheran, Iran)

The Humphrey Garden, 1987

Concrete, brick, steel, landscape materials

62 ft. w X 62 ft. w

Location: Outside the Hubert H. Humphrey Center

The garden is a public space designed by artist Siah Armajani in collaboration with architect Leonard Parker in the 1980s. It was installed in 1987 and dedicated in 1988. Funded with a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and private donations, it 
was created shortly before the establishment of a formal Public Art on Campus Program at the University. This program was initiated after percent-for-art legislation by the State of Minnesota encouraged state building projects to request up to one percent of the construction budget to commission original artwork for the site.

Historically, works of art in public places were not necessarily made with a specific location in mind. The Humphrey Garden marked a transition in public art to works that depend upon and tell a story about their location.