In Focus: Bemidji’s Lake Shore Gets New Decorative Benches

Roughly 23 years ago, the Bemidji Sculpture Walk was created to bring people to the historic downtown area of the city. One way to bring visitors downtown area was to create something fun, unique, and beautiful.

Bemidji Sculpture Walk grant writer and co-founder Cate Belleveau says that they wrote a grant to the Region 2 Arts Council for this project, as well as reaching out to several local artists in the area to create some beautiful and artistic pieces for the walkway along Lake Bemidji’s South Shore. One of the pieces, a “tool bench” assembled from repurposed tools, was handmade by Cate’s husband, Al Belleveau.

The grant allowed for there to be five benches placed. Four of those pieces are currently installed. Aside from Al’s piece, there is a piece called “Mosaic Otter and Friends” by artist Ann Klefstad from Duluth, a fish bench made by local mural artist Paula Swenson, and a bench called “Live Green and Free” by artist Ivan Smith.

Smith shared that he really enjoyed working on his piece, and that all materials used for his project were scraps he pulled from junk piles. As he says, nothing is forced: it’s all an organic compilation of what a person can find lying around.

The decorative benches can be viewed and enjoyed by visitors and residents along the south shore of Lake Bemidji along State Highway 197.