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Blandin Foundation logo with tree sprig graphic and "strengthening rural Minnesota" tagline
Image: Blandin Foundation Renovation – Grand Rapids, MN -Widesth Photos August 2025 PI 34

Our Building & Grounds

Image: Statue of a working man holding a thick stack of large paper bowing toward the ground, standing outside the Blandin Foundation office with trees and a clear sky in the background.

Papermaker Statue

Sculptor Ray Wattenhofer created the Papermaker statue, installed in November 1985, to represent the paper mill workers of the early 1900s.

Image: Metal hexagons assembled in four groups of three to form a bike rack, with art panels in the top hexagon of each group.

Functional Art Bike Rack

Sculptor Greg Mueller created this bike rack to represent areas the Blandin Foundation serves: Reservations, Grand Rapids area, Iron Range, and Rural Minnesota. Learn more about Greg and his work at THE STUDIO | mueller-studio. Learn more about who the Blandin Foundation serves: Our Commitment.

Image: A metal panel with cutouts for a birch bark biting pattern radiating from a center point and symmetrical across four axes, on a stone path with grass, gardens and trees around.

Birch Bark Biting Panels

Artist, TahSheena Smith, focuses on traditional Ojibwe art and techniques such as beadwork, regalia and accessory making, and birch bark biting. The latter was introduced to her during an art class, instructed by Karen Goulet. Biting designs into the bark seemed to come naturally and she took a liking to the craft. She creates floral patterns in her biting technique and design. TahSheena’s artwork was digitized and incorporated into two metal privacy screens in the landscaping along the west end of the grounds.

Image: Viewed from above, a turtle formed from stone is inhabiting a circular garden with various plants around it, as well as a few plants growing from its shell.

Traditional Medicine Garden

The Turtle Petroform, within the circle on the north side of our building, contains chokeberry, sweet grass, yarrow, bee balm, white sage, and red osier dogwood, which are traditional medicines to the Anishinaabe and Dakota people. Surrounding the Turtle Petroform are a variety of pollinator friendly plants.

Image: Purple, yellow and white wildflowers bloom on both sides of a stone border, next to sidewalks outside of the Blandin Foundation office.

Pollinator Friendly Gardens

During the 2024 building and grounds remodel, bee lawn seed was planted in two areas on the north side of the building and over 14,000 pollinator-friendly plants were planted elsewhere on the grounds. The effects of planting pollinator plants were noticed within weeks after being planted; bees, butterflies, birds, and furry little creatures are seen flitting and frolicking in the plants daily!

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