In the Fall of 1999, the shooting star of the Upper-Midwest sleight-of-hand and magical arts scene, Nicholas Anthony, was looking to make a name for himself and had a dream. So the young magician prodigy boldly claimed—to a non-Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist—that he would make Minneapolis’ famed Spoonbridge and Cherry disappear. Well, he was half right.
The iconic art piece has been a fixture in the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden since 1988 when artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen constructed the project. But on Nov. 16th, 2021, the cherry disappeared. When asked how he achieved this miraculous Houdini-level feat, Mr. Anthony responded, “No comment.”
Then, true to the Elk River Senior High grad’s claim, on Feb. 18th, 2022, without praise or fanfare, Mr. Anthony returned the cherry to its original position (freshly painted). When again asked to comment, he humbly said, “Stop calling me. I haven’t done magic in years. Geez, sometimes people say dumb shit when they’re 17.”
Next time you visit Minnesota, make sure to stop by and take a picture with the heartbeat of Minneapolis’ art scene, but wait a few months; the February cold will brainwash you into being fake-nicer and thinking that jumping in an ice-cold lake naked is a good idea.
Photo cred: Michael Anderson Imagery