Adopt-a-River Trash Sculptures

Every year since 1994, the Adopt-a-River program commissions an artist to create an outdoor sculpture made of found objects (aka "trash") to be displayed at the Minnesota State Fair near the DNR building. Each sculpture is made from a variety of materials gathered from actual river cleanup sites.

Many of these sculptures are installed at permanent locations after their time at the Fair ends. Want to visit the trash sculptures?
This map will help you find them.

Trash sculptures through the years

2013: "Homegrown" by Andrew Vomhof

2012: "Scuttled" by Andrew Vomhof

2011: "Union: A Deer and Two Herons" by Raina Belleau

2010: "Nature's Engineer—The Beaver" by Chip Addington and Caylon Hackwith

2009: "Urgie the Sturgeon" by Demian Jackman

2008: "The Industrious, Cooperative Ant" by Rabi Sanfo

2007: "Morph the Transforming Frog" by Mary Johnson

2006: "Dragon Fly" by Paul Byer

2005: "River Turtle" by Paul Byer

2004: "Koi Carp" by Steve Bateman

2003: "Watch Swan" by Steve Bateman

2002: "Red Alert" by Al Wadzinsky

2001: "Flood Dwelling" by Timothy Hasenstein and Allison Hoogervorst

2000: "The Ancient Mariner" by Lou Ferreri

1999: "2600 Scarecrows" by Lou Ferreri

1998: "The Diviners" by Lou Ferreri

1997: "The Toxic Avenger" by Al Wadzinsky

1996: "Fish" by John Ballinger

1995: "Arching Roots of the River Bank" by Jason P. Moore

1994: "See What the Fish Have to Put Up With?" by Saul Simon

Learn more

Learn more about what goes into a trash sculpture and where all that rubbish comes from in this MP3 audio interview with Paul Nordell, coordinator of the Adopt-a-River and the Found Objects Sculpture programs.