BEGIN:VCALENDAR PRODID;X-RICAL-TZSOURCE=TZINFO:-//com.denhaven2/NONSGML ri_cal gem//EN CALSCALE:GREGORIAN VERSION:2.0 BEGIN:VEVENT DESCRIPTION:&ldquo\;Lantern Festival: Art by Day\, Magic by Night&rdquo\; Is First Exhibition of Its Kind in the U.S.\nThe Missouri Botanical Ga rden in St. \;Louis will host an international exhibition of 26 lar ger-than-life\, lighted works of art from Zigong\, China in 2012. &ldquo \;Lantern Festival: Art by Day\, Magic by Night&rdquo\; will attract vis itors from throughout the country to experience one of China&rsquo\;s m ost treasured events and ancient traditions &ndash\; the annual lantern festival. Elaborate outdoor sets crafted of silk and steel will celebr ate Chinese culture through bold color\, dazzling light and striking de sign. The exhibition is the first of its kind and size in the United St ates\, offering visitors a unique opportunity to witness a spectacle ra rely staged outside of Asia.\nLantern Festival at the Missouri Botanical Garden will be on outdoor display May \;26 through August \;19\ , \;2012. View the art by day\, 9 \;a.m. to 5 \;p.m. daily\ ; experience the illuminated magic by night\, Thursday through Sunday e venings from 6 to 10 \;p.m. (last entry at 9 \;p.m.\; special e vening exhibition rates apply). For more information\, visit www.mobot. org/lanternfestival. Emerson\, a global manufacturing and technology com pany based in St. \;Louis\, is the presenting sponsor of Lantern Fes tival.\n&ldquo\;As one of the region&rsquo\;s premier cultural attracti ons\, the Missouri Botanical Garden is delighted to bring an internatio nal event of this caliber to the St. \;Louis area\,&rdquo\; said Dr . \;Peter Wyse Jackson\, president of the Missouri Botanical Garden . &ldquo\;The Garden has a long-tenured tradition of botanical research and collaboration with China through our Flora of China project\, a si gnificant endeavor which we anticipate completing at the end of 2012. C oupled with the presence of our beautiful Chinese Garden\, the Grigg Na njing Friendship Garden\, it seemed only fitting for the Garden to host the first Lantern Festival in the country\, celebrating in what will b e our &lsquo\;Year of China.&rsquo\;&rdquo\;\n&ldquo\;Emerson is proud t o be a presenting sponsor of this magnificent international exhibit\,&r dquo\; said Robert \;M. \;Cox.\, \;Jr.\, senior vice presid ent &ndash\; administration of Emerson. &ldquo\;These works of art will educate our community on Chinese history\, tradition and culture.&rdqu o\;\nLantern festivals are deeply rooted in Chinese history and myth\, dating back to the ancient dynasties of more than 2\,000 years ago. In modern times\, lantern festivals traditionally culminate the 15-day cel ebration of the Chinese New Year. Giant\, ornate lanterns of complex de sign fill cities with light in vivid\, festive spectacles.\nA team of 35 to 40 skilled artisans from Zigong in the western province of Sichua n\, the center of the lantern-making industry in China\, will spend two months in residence at the Missouri Botanical Garden to construct 26 e laborate\, multi-piece sets from scratch. Working from reference drawin gs\, sets begin as large outlines on the ground. Steel rods are careful ly placed and welded together to fashion the framework of each figure. Structures are draped with specially-treated Chinese silk\, designed to withstand outdoor display for several months. Silk is secured to frame edges with a gold trim. The final creations are lit from within or ado rned with an exterior piping of lights\, giving them a brilliant evenin g glow.\nEach lantern design is full of Chinese tradition\, symbolism a nd meaning. Greeting visitors at the Garden&rsquo\;s entrance is a welc oming gate of dragon pillars\, Hua Biao\, modeled after a more than 500 -year-old pair at the Tiananmen Square in China. The original Chinese g ates were built to activate the good luck of the Ching dynasty\; simila rly\, the Garden&rsquo\;s Hua Biao represents good prospect and turns ba d luck into good. Standing sentry at the Linnean Plaza entrance\, The Te rracotta Warrior set features four ten-foot-tall figures depicting the a rmies of Qin Shi Huang\, the first emperor of China. Chinese opera\, an art form rich in tradition that combines music\, dance and song\, is c elebrated with masks in The Faces of Chinese Opera\, the only indoor la ntern display.\nIn a nod to the 2012 Year of the Dragon in the Chinese zodiac\, several elaborate lantern sets prominently feature the dragon\ , a mythical creature and cultural symbol of Chinese nationality that r epresents hopes and wishes for a better future. A swirling dragon embra ces a pillar rising from the waters of the Garden&rsquo\;s Latzer Fount ain. Intricate porcelain dragons\, created by stringing and stacking hu ndreds of porcelain dishes in long\, curving rows to form a scaled body \, stretch the length of the reflecting pools located between the famed Climatron®\; conservatory and the Garden&rsquo\;s original stone gat e entrance. The Nine-Dragon Mural uses color\, expression and emotion t o replicate the artistic architecture of a similar sculpture in Beijing. \nA huge\, color-changing vase spins in the center of the Gladney Rose Garden\, surrounded by eight-foot-tall stems of lotus flowers\, a symbo l of aspirations to &ldquo\;rise towards the light.&rdquo\; The Heavenl y Temple is a three-story-tall showpiece designed to mimic the beauty\, magnificence and majestic presence of the 15th century Beijing Heavenly Temple\, where emperors would pray for a fruitful harvest. A sail boat made from thousands of recycled plastic bottles glides through the calm waters of a pond near the Dry Streambed Garden to represent &ldquo\;do ing everything well.&rdquo\; A pathway sparkling with lit arches of cre scent moons and stars symbolizes a happy and celebratory occasion\, a r ousing and iconic scene at any traditional lantern festival.\nIn keepin g with the Garden&rsquo\;s commitment to sustainability\, Ameren Missou ri Pure Power will donate Missouri wind energy credits to offset the el ectricity required to power the exhibit for nighttime viewing.\nSpecial exhibition admission rates will apply during Lantern Festival evenings \, Thursdays through Sundays\, May 26 through August 19\, 2012. Nightti me viewing hours are 6 to 10 \;p.m. (last entry at 9 \;p.m.) Ti ckets will be available for advance purchase online at www.mobot.org/la nternfestival in the months preceding the exhibition. Advance group book ings of 15 or more receive discounted admission rates\; contact the Tou rism Department at 1-800-332-1286 or tourism@mobot.org.\nThere is no ex tra charge to view the works of art by day from 9 \;a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Missouri Botanical Garden general admission is $8\; St. Louis Ci ty and County residents enjoy discounted admission of $4 and free admis sion on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until noon. Children ages 12 an d under and Garden members are free.\nThe Missouri Botanical Garden is located at 4344 Shaw Blvd. in south St. Louis\, Mo.\, accessible from Interstate 44 at the Vandeventer exit and from Interstate 64 at the Kin gshighway North &\; South exit. Free parking is available on-site an d two blocks west at the corner of Shaw and Vandeventer.\n*Description b y the Missouri Botanical Garden. URL:http://townandcountry-manchester.patch.com/events/lantern-festival-ar t-by-day-magic-by-night SUMMARY:Lantern Festival: Art by Day\, Magic by Night LOCATION:4344 Shaw Blvd\, Saint Louis\, MO 63110: 4344 Shaw Blvd\, Saint Louis\, MO END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR