A downtown St. Louis sculpture park is marking its 10th anniversary with three new installations.
The Gateway Foundation, a nonprofit promoting art and design, opened Citygarden in July 2009 with 25 sculptures. The new additions include a giant zipper revealing the earth and a whimsical figure uplifted by a heart balloon but weighed down by money. Both are already in place. On June 6, the park will install the final celebratory sculpture, a smiling face inspired by the moon.
The art, along with the park’s bounty of trees, plants and water features including a fountain and play area, make Citygarden a popular spot, Gateway spokesperson Paul Wagman said.
“You don’t know, when you’re creating something like this, how it will be received,” Wagman said. “But it’s been a huge success.”
‘Appeals To Everyone’
Gateway doesn’t officially count the number of Citygarden visitors. But the free attraction, located between Chestnut and Market and 8th and 10th Streets, is often filled with people, especially during the warmer months.
“You see children, you see elderly people, you see couples, office workers,” Wagman said. “It really appeals to everyone.”
Many of the pieces, a mix of abstract and figurative works, share a playful quality. They represent an esteemed collection of renowned artists including Keith Haring, Fernand Leger, Jim Dine and Niki de Saint Phalle.
“There's a substantial sampling of great works by the world's greatest living contemporary sculptors and some by sculptors who are no longer with us,” Wagman said.
The park cost $30 million to develop. The original agreement allows it to exist on city’s land for 15 years.
“There is every thought at this point of continuing it beyond the five years, renewing it and going forward,” Wagman said.
Citygarden will hold an official anniversary party on July 1.
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