Last summer, Maplewood celebrated its 10th annual Let Them Eat Art with (what else?) cake—or, to be more precise, cakes. The neighborhood’s annual Bastille Day party kicked off with “Cake Walk to Cake Land,” a parade of giant STL 250 fiberglass cake statues. Maplewood community development director Rachelle L’Ecuyer marveled at how the crowd recognized every single one as the parade rolled down Sutton. At the time, she was working with Saratoga Lanes owner Jim Barton to plan a centennial celebration for his bowling alley, the oldest west of the Mississippi.
See also: Saratoga Lanes Turns 100
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The giant cakes gave her an idea. She shared it with graphic design firm The Designery. “They made these white 5-foot-tall bowling pins,” L’Ecuyer recalls. “Then we gave them to the designers in our special business district.”
This past summer, Let Them Eat Art’s theme was “Heads Will Bowl,” in honor of Saratoga Lanes. In addition to actual bowling pins decorated by local artists (including one inside a flowery knitted cozy), it was the perfect opportunity to debut the big pins. Eco-friendly architecture firm Hellmuth + Bicknese upcycled architectural sample squares to create a multicolored pin scaled á la an armadillo’s armor. The staff of hip T-shirt design shop Tiny Little Monster covered theirs with, natch, tiny cartoon monsters. Wolfe Architecture & Design turned theirs into a giant champagne bottle, complete with gold bubbles. And product designer Objex turned theirs into a postmodern pachinko: Flip a switch, and a marble rolls down a chute, triggering lights behind postcard views of St. Louis historic milestones on its way down.
The 10 pins then went on display in shop windows throughout Maplewood. Famous-Barr’s old Christmas windows were an inspiration—L’Ecuyer notes an art connection: “That’s where Ernest Trova got his start.” She felt that the pins were perhaps too fragile to be left on the street all summer. Gesturing to their shape, she notes, “They’re something someone could easily hug—or knock over!”
This month, the giant pins will be reunited inside Saratoga Lanes, where they’ll be auctioned off during the bowling alley’s 100th-birthday celebration.
L’Ecuyer is already planning for next year. “I wanted to figure out how we could do something outside,” she says, “so we’re going to give artists a white umbrella and have them decorate them. I want to hang them from the lampposts. I envision turning the corner, looking down Sutton, and seeing all these beautiful umbrellas.”
FYI Place your bid on a bowling pin at Saratoga Lanes (2725 Sutton) on October 8. For more info, visit saratogalanes.com.
Here’s where to see the bowling pins before the event at Saratoga Lanes. For an interactive, self-guided tour map, visit mo-maplewood.civicplus.com.
Tiny Little Monster: 7207 Manchester (pin created by Tiny Little Monster)
Hellmuth + Bicknese Architects: 7211 Manchester (pin created by Hellmuth + Bicknese)
Roughneck Beard Company: 7282 Manchester (pin created by Objex Design)
Maven: 7290 Manchester (pin created by Seafoam Media)
Vom Fass: 7314 Manchester (pin created by Wolfe Architecture & Design)
Airedale Antics: 7316 Manchester (pin created by Moosylvania)
J & E’s Office City: 7326 Manchester (pin created by V Three Studios)
The Book House: 7352 Manchester (pin created by Hoffman LaChance Contemporary)
E-Merge Interactive/SmithLee Productions: 7420 Manchester (pin created by E-Merge Interactive)
Studio X: 2737 Sutton (pin created by Studio X)
