Minneapolis Art Museum Will Remove Gallows-Like Sculpture

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Walker Art Center in Minneapolis will remove a gallows-like sculpture because of protests from Native Americans who say it brought back painful memories of the mass hanging of 38 Dakota men in 1862.

``Scaffold'' is a two-story sculpture by Los Angeles artist Sam Durant. It was inspired in part by the 1862 hanging in Mankato at the end of the Dakota War, which was the largest mass execution in U.S. history. It was set to debut this coming Saturday when the Walker's Sculpture Garden reopens.

While Durant intended to raise awareness about capital punishment and America's violent past, protesters said it was insensitive and trivialized history.

Walker Executive Director Olga Viso says she regrets the pain it brought to the Dakota community and said it will be dismantled.