Mini Golf & Chairs: Where Design Meets Play 

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Mini Golf & Chairs: Where Design Meets Play

View & Play November 13, 2024 - May 4, 2025

Curated by Zoe Cinel

Welcome to the Rochester Art Center, where design meets play! This exhibition, curated by Zoe Cinel, features a fun mix of chairs created by world-renowned architects and a mini golf course designed by regional artists. Take this unique opportunity to learn about the history of modern chairs and share meaningful memories with others, while playing a one-of-a-kind miniature golf course.

The chairs belong to the private collection of Southeast Minnesota residents Ruth and Dave Klawiter. Ruth and Dave have been collecting chairs designed by architects for years. Among the many wonderful pieces in the collection, we present twenty that were created between 1904 and the 2010s. These chairs exemplify a variety of aesthetic choices, innovative manufacturing techniques, a range of construction materials, and compelling references to history, culture and natural elements.

The renowned architects represented, deeply influenced our culture as they brought their innovative ideas to the design of chairs and iconic buildings all over the world. This exhibition demonstrates how creative thinking and innovative solutions can be applied to everyday objects, large spaces and - why not? - even mini golf! Several of the architects whose chairs are featured in our galleries also designed buildings and sites that can be visited in the region. Reminisce about your visit to Mini Golf & Chairs by visiting the hidden architectural gems that are referenced in the exhibition, including “Big Blue” Rochester Technology Campus by Finnish architect Eero Saarinen, right here in Rochester!

To explore - with a fun twist - how structure and form are fundamental to the design process, we invited five artists to design mini golf holes inspired by the chairs in this show, in consultation with Tom Loftus and Robin Schwartzman, A Couple of Putts. The artists looked closely at the chairs, selected one that inspired them, and deeply researched the formal, material and aesthetic choice behind the design. While playing, notice how the design elements in the mini golf course are a direct reflection of shape, color and textures present in the corresponding chair.

The five artists were selected through an open call, juried by a panel of experts in the fields of art and mini golf. We hope you enjoy the show and have fun playing!

Featured artists:

Amanda Langer, Maggie Panetta, Ruth Klawiter, Simon Huelsbeck, and Rachel Coyne in collaboration with Gerald and Cyrus Carlson

Mini Golf Rates

$5 for a Play Pass | Includes one round of mini golf

$45 for a Punch Card | Includes ten rounds of mini golf