He bought 60 acres in Eagan in 1949 and has spent most of the time since complementing the hills and trees with artwork that fits into the natural landscape. One of the most striking pieces is Pompeii, a 170 foot-long bronze sculpture imbedded in a hillside. It represents the contorted corpses that remained after a volcano destroyed the Italian cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum in 79 A.D. Luckily, Pompeii and the other pieces in the park were not damaged in the recent severe thunderstorms. Anthony said that some of the landscaping in the park sustained damage, but nothing as serious as the flooding in the nearby Wilderness Run neighborhood. The artwork in the park can be viewed Saturdays and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. through October.
Admission is free.
Anthony said that he tries to make the park very family oriented and encourages parents to bring their children. The park is sponsored by a variety of public and private sources, including the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, the Minnesota State Arts Board, the McKnight Foundation and the city of Eagan. Caponi Art Park has a full schedule of events before the amphitheater opening. From Aug. 4 to 6, the park will host an Elizabethan Festival, featuring three plays by Shakespeare and a satire of Shakespeare. The plays will be staged at the bottom of a hill on the north side of the park.