MINNEAPOLIS — The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will remove a gallows-like sculpture because of protests from American Indians who say it brought back painful memories of the mass hanging of 38 Dakota men in 1862.
Scaffold is a two-story sculpture from 2012 by Los Angeles artist Sam Durant. It was inspired in part by the 1862 hanging in Mankato at the end of the U.S.-Dakota War, which was the largest mass execution in U.S. history, as well as six other hangings.
While Durant intended to raise awareness about capital punishment and America’s violent past, protesters said it was insensitive and trivialized a dark chapter in Minnesota and Dakota history.
Walker Executive Director Olga Viso issued a statement Saturday apologizing for not anticipating how provocative the work would be. She said she had spoken with Durant, and he was open to removing the sculpture.