The San Diego Museum of Art unveils this weekend its public art project, Art of the Open Air.
The free exhibition in Balboa Park’s Plaza de Panama features seven modern works from the museum’s sculpture collection. Among them: Auguste Rodin’s "The Prodigal Son," Joan Miró’s "Solar Bird," Lynn Chadwick’s "Watchers" and Tony Rosenthal’s "Odyssey III."
Because of limited museum exhibition space, these sculptures were previously sitting in storage most of the time — hidden from public view
In October, the San Diego Museum of Art launched a crowd-sourced fundraising campaign to help raise money for the exhibition, calling it #FreeTheArt. So far, the campaign — plus generous donations from museum donors — has raised $250,000. That money will go toward paying for conservation, installation, security and lighting.
On Friday, Art of the Open Air was unveiled at a ceremony featuring Councilman Todd Gloria, whose district includes Balboa Park; Roxana Velásquez, the art museum's executive director, and Dana Springs, executive director for the city's Commission for Arts and Culture.
Art of the Open Air will be on view through February 2018.
Here's a look at the opening festivities:
