Photos: City Garden grand opening

ST. LOUIS — Today was the grand opening of Citygarden’s expansion in Downtown St. Louis’ Gateway Mall. This free, family-friendly event opened at 10 a.m. and had including live music, food and ice cream trucks, giveaways, and even flocks of flamingos.

The first 2,500 guests had a chance to win exclusive Citygarden merchandise designed by local artists. They got to pick pink ducks from a barrel with numbers on them. The numbers correlated with prizes.

For this expansion, new features such as a serpentine bench that matches the original meander wall, and native plants. Working with the Gateway Foundation, they placed new artworks in the garden.

The expansion had challenges such as navigating underground utilities and old trolley tracks, but the project has been a success.

Here are the sculptures at Citygarden:

1. White Ghost by Yoshitomo Nara (2010):
   • A large white fiberglass statue resembling a dog and a child.
2. Mechanical Planet by Jan Kaláb (2017):
   • Playful spheres in bright colors that challenge gravity.
3. All Power to All People by Hank Willis Thomas (2021):
   • An eight-foot-tall Afro pick with a power fist cast in aluminum.
4. MOONRISE.east.may by Ugo Rondinone (2005):
   • An eight-foot-tall mask-like bust with a grinning face.
5. Big White Gloves, Big Four Wheels by Jim Dine (2007):
   • Pinocchio standing on a bronze cart with outstretched arms.

Follow Citygarden and the Gateway Foundation on Instagram to win prizes designed by local artists, including custom windbreakers, fanny packs, beach towels, picnic blankets, kites, and color-changing lemonade cups—all designed specifically for this event.

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