Ritz Park - A Public Space for the Community!
Have you checked out South Grand's new public space, Ritz Park? Formerly the site of the Ritz Theatre, the South Grand Community Improvement District successfully developed the former parking lot into a vibrant public space for the community!
Now, all that's left is adding some public art!
The Art Installation
After a Request for Proposal process, the potential art installations were narrowed down to a final three. The final three were then voted on by the public and RITZIATA by Walter Gunn was selected.
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An homage to the past, Gunn and his team have designed a metal structure mimicking the facade of the former Ritz and Juniata Theatres which once stood on the site of the current Ritz Park.
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Centrally located high in the façade will be two sculptural figures facing each other. Large blue marbles will be used to accent decorative elements, to echo the Juniata's facade. The marbles also appear as finials for the park's arbor posts, south and west, to unify the space with color and texture reflecting all light night and day.
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The Artist
Walter Gunn, a local artist and Tower Grove East resident, has been writing, producing, designing, and sculpting in St. Louis for 42 years. He has produced films, designed sculptural elements, designed festivals for the State of Missouri, sculpted commissioned works of art in wood and steel, consulted, lectured, and served as the Founder and Executive Director of the Sheldon Arts Foundation.
Other team members include:
Design - Walter Gunn and Andrew Petty
Fabrication - Ed Brimer/Engraphix
Lighting - Randy Burkett
Historic Research and Context - Michael Allen and Dennis Northcott
Contributing Engineer - Greg Beye
What We Need & What You Get
We need your help to fund the public art installation. Donate anything from $25 to $5,000 and help make South Grand more beautiful! Check out the perks to find out what you can receive for your donation.
Want to give more than $5,000? Contact South Grand at 314-772-5750 or catherine@southgrand.org.
Your donation will help fund RITZIATA, designed by Walter Gunn!
Other Ways You Can Help
Can't contribute money to our campaign? That's okay! Share this campaign on Facebook or Twitter. This is a community based effort so we encourage you to share this with your neighbors! Ritz Park is a community gathering space that everyone can enjoy so we'd love you to share this campaign with everyone!
**If the entire $133,000 is not raised via crowdfunding, the South Grand CID will keep the donations separately as we fundraise through other means. The first $5,000 raised will go towards an engineering study looking at the feasibility of the project. Any additional money will be kept separately as fundraising continues.
