"Hold" by Alonso Sierralta
The Anderson Center launched its Sculpture Garden Engagement Program with the August 17, 2020 installation of a new sculpture by Alonso Sierralta, a Chilean-born, Minnesota-based artist and educator. Thanks to support from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, Alonso led three hands-on workshops in May of 2021 with 13 high school students participating in after school programs coordinated Hispanic Outreach of Goodhue County & Red Wing Youth Outreach. A capstone reception to honor Alonso's sculpture and share the sculptures students created took place Saturday, May 22, 2021 in the Anderson Center Sculpture Garden.
Alonso Sierralta moved from Chile to the United States when he was fourteen, and studied in Nebraska before settling in NE Minneapolis. He has an MFA from the University of Nebraska. He has received several awards, including a Next Step grant from the McKnight Foundation, and his work has been featured throughout MN and in numerous national shows. Sierralta has public work on display at Stevens Point Sculpture Park, in Stevens Point, WI, and at Silverwood Park, in St. Anthony, MN.

The Sculpture Garden Engagement Program helped area youth develop skills, knowledge and understanding of the arts through hands-on workshops & mentorship with Alonso, a bilingual speaker and art professor for nearly two decades. Combing both man-made and natural materials, the pieces the students created with Alonso reflected their own perspectives while also mirroring the techniques and tension in Alonso's work. Overall the program fostered meaningful exchange across the community through Alonso's new piece in the Anderson Center Sculpture Garden.
Learn more about Alonso Sierralta and his sculptures via the links below.
- TPT's "MN Original" episode showcasing Alonso and his work
- "The Organic Art of Movement" profile piece on Alonso by the Austin Daily Herald
The Sculpture Garden Engagement Program is made possible by a grant from the Southeastern Minnesota Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
