Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park announced Tuesday the completion of its new Welcome Center that includes the installation of a new piece called Utopia by Jaume Plensa.
The expansion project broke ground in 2017 and includes the Garden Pavilion. It’s a large entry and gathering space that features horticultural displays and the new sculpture Utopia. The sculpture is Plensa’s largest indoor work to date.
“With Utopia, I wanted to set out to transform an expansive space into a single piece,” said Jaume Plensa. “I wanted to do something unforgettable for the Gardens. I wanted to create something that seemed invisible, but with 400 tons of marble, which I know it seems like a contradiction. I spend my life trying to work through that duality, that poetry.”
The new installments are part of a larger, $115 million project called Welcoming the World: Honoring a Legacy of Love. The project includes the following:
- The new 69,000-square-foot Welcome Center, designed to be LEED certified.
- The new 20,000-square foot Covenant Learning Center, designed to be LEED certified.
- The new Peter C. and Emajean Cook Transportation Center.
- An expanded and upgraded Frederik Meijer Gardens Amphitheater.
- The new Frey Foundation Entry Plaza.
- A reimagined and expanded BISSELL Corridor.
- The new outdoor Meijer-Shedleski Picnic Pavilion.
- The new Stuart and Barbara Padnos Rooftop Sculpture Garden.
- Expanded and accessible parking and urban gardens.
All elements of the project are expected to be completed in June 2022.
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