SAA: Asian Art in Minneapolis

Minneapolis, MN, USA

TA
May 12 - 17, 2025
Group size: 16 - 20
SAA: Asian Art in Minneapolis
Minneapolis, MN, USA


May 12 - 17, 2025
Group size: 16 - 20

About this trip

Please join us on a spring trip to Minneapolis. A highlight of the trip will be visiting the Minneapolis Institute of Art, which has one of the finest and most comprehensive Asian art collections in the country.  Curator-led tours will focus on Asian art galleries boasting some 16,800 objects, ranging from ancient pottery and bronzes to works by contemporary artists, with nearly every Asian culture represented. We will stay at The Hewing, a four-star boutique hotel in the North Loop neighborhood which is situated in a good walking area among cafes, art galleries, boutique shops and restaurants.


Other Tour Highlights 


· Guided tour of the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, where we will delight in more than 60 works from modern and contemporary artists including Mark di Suvero, Lucio Fontana, Theaster Gates, Sol LeWitt, Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, Martin Puryear, George Segal, Richard Serra, Judith Shea, Angela Two Stars, and James Turrell 


· Curator-led tour at Walker Art Center, which was expanded in 2005 to stunning effect by Herzog and de Meuron to display its collection of modern and contemporary art, especially works after 1960.  Its holdings include more than 13,000 pieces, including books, costumes, drawings, media works, paintings, photography, prints, and sculpture.


· Curator-led tour at The Museum of Russian Art, which has built a remarkably diverse permanent collection of works, ranging from paintings and sculpture to objects of folk art and cultural artifacts in the two decades since its establishment


· Curator-led tour at the Weisman Art Museum of its Korean collections, the variety and breadth of which is unmatched in the United States, and is perhaps unrivaled outside Asia. The collection includes about 200 examples of Choson dynasty (1392–1910) furniture, 80 Silla dynasty (668–935 B.C.) stoneware pieces, some 150 folk paintings and wooden bowls and utensils, in addition to other folk arts and crafts. Also see its internationally significant collection of American art from the first half of the twentieth century, featuring the world’s largest holdings of works by Marsden Hartley, Alfred H. Maurer, and B.J.O. Nordfeldt.  


· Possible visit to a private collection of Russian art or to the extensively and beautifully restored Purcell-Cutts House, a masterpiece of Prairie School Architecture


· Lecture by Japanese art scholar Joe Earle related to the Kondo porcelain exhibition at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, followed by a panel discussion with artist Kondo Takahiro and curators 


· Guided tour at the American Swedish Institute (ASI), whose collection documents Swedish immigration and settlement in America. Among its many objects, ASI houses one of the finest collections of Swedish art glass outside of Sweden, and an exemplary collection of flat-plane wood carvings. Galleries are partially housed in the historic Turnblad Mansion (1904-1908), whose master craftsmen created 33 rooms each with a distinct style and décor—from Gustavian to Moorish. 


· Farewell dinner at Spoon and Stable, whose Executive Chef Gavin Kaysen received the James Beard Award for Best Chef: Midwest in 2018


· Optional night(s) at The Guthrie Theater to see The Mousetrap, Agatha Christie’s thriller; and / or The Nacirema Society Requests the Honor of Your Presence at a Celebration of Their First One Hundred Years, a clever Southern comedy. Performances begin at 7:30 p.m.; tickets are $32-92 including handling fees.


A final, updated Itinerary will be sent to you two weeks prior to the tour. 

Fitness Level

EASY

This trip involves a stay in just one hotel. There will be standing and walking for extended periods during museum visits or tours. Walking is typically on flat terrain with elevators often available. While we encourage participation in all group activities, a tour participant can opt-out when necessary. We will be walking to restaurants in the evening, which will take 5 to 10 minutes. Travel insurance is recommended for this tour if there is any chance of a health event for you or a family member prior to or during the tour dates.


Health Requirements:

Participants should be in good health and with overall good mobility and should be comfortable participating in at least three to five hours of activity per day. Any condition that may require any individual accommodation or special medical attention must be reported at the time you make your reservation.

What’s included

  • Accommodations
    Five nights at The Hewing Hotel, including taxes. Rooms offer a choice of one king or two queen beds. Upgrades are subject to availability.
  • Meals
    Breakfast daily; one welcome reception with two glasses of wine, cocktails or beer per person and cheese-and-charcuterie platters; and one farewell dinner including wine
  • Transportation
    Private coach for two days, May 14th and 15th, including driver gratuity
  • Private Collections
    As indicated in the itinerary
  • Curator and Docent Tours
    As indicated in the itinerary
  • Entrance Fees
    As indicated in the itinerary
  • WiFi
    Complimentary WiFi internet access at the hotel

What’s not included

  • Travel Expenses
    To and from Minneapolis
  • Airport Transfers
    To and from the hotel
  • Porterage
    Upon check-in and check-out at the hotel
  • Housekeeping Gratuities
    $3 per room per day is suggested
  • Transportation
    Ride-share services from and between sites, as indicated in the itinerary
  • Gratuities
    For hotel staff and local guides
  • Meals
    Meals and beverages not otherwise included
  • Items for Personal Use
    Including phone and fax charges, minibar, and laundry services
  • Non-Group Tickets
    Event and performance tickets arranged on your own
  • Travel Insurance
    Information will be provided upon tour registration

Available Packages

Per person, based on double occupancy
Sold Out

Standard room with a choice of one king or two queen beds

$2,150
Per person, based on single occupancy
Sold Out

Standard room with a king bed

$3,000

Available options

Pre-tour extra night of May 11th
$275

Per room, per night, Including tax, excluding breakfast.  Rates for any additional pre-tour nights fluctuate depending on availability; please contact Meg MacDonald to discuss.

Post-tour extra night of May 17th
$425

 Per room, per night, Including tax, excluding breakfast.   Rates for any additional post-tour nights fluctuate depending on availability; please contact Meg MacDonald to discuss. 



Your Organizer


TA
Tour Advisor Meg MacDonald at Travel Muse
Mūse, n. [L. musa; Gr. mousa] 1. In Greek mythology, any of the nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne who presided over the fine arts and science. 2. The spirit regarded as inspiring a poet or other artist; source of genius or inspiration. Travel Muse has 30+ years' experience creating tours to inspire, including Director’s and President’s Circle Tours; Connoisseur Tours; and Study Tours. Tours of the highest standard are designed for fine and decorative art organizations, botanic gardens, historic societies, & culinary groups.