The majority of the artwork throughout the Governor's Residence changes with each administration. The artwork currently on display was selected by the Governor and represents a wide range of Minnesota artists. The artwork is on loan from the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Minnesota Historical Society.
The home's permanent collection features five portraits, including oil paintings of Harold, Clotilde and Elizabeth Irvine. Recently returned to the Residence and on display on the west wall of the drawing room is James Fairman's piece, Henry Sibley on Horseback, circa 1862. James Fairman was an itinerant landscape painter whose work covered the expanse of the United States. His extensive wanderings rendered him a multifaceted expert on the American terrain, one who played the role of frontiersman, naturalist, and educator, in addition to that of artist.
Several statues are on permanent display on the grounds, including Minnesota artist Doug Forsberg's Carl. The bronze sculpture is of a boy on a bicycle and is located adjacent to the Children’s Garden.
