A two-day Sculpture Park celebration

No need to peer behind those fences anymore. Finally, after much delay and anticipation, the Seattle Art Museum will unveil its $85 million Olympic Sculpture Park this weekend.

It's expected to be one of the nation's most prestigious sculpture gardens — in the same league as those run by the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, D.C.; the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis; and Storm King in upstate New York.

Gov. Christine Gregoire and Mayor Greg Nickels will be present at the public opening. Two days of festivities, held mostly inside or under tents in case of rain, will include performances ranging from hip-hop to Eastern European and West African dances.

To find the park entrances, just follow the pageantry. Teatro ZinZanni characters, acrobats from Circus Contraption and a stilt walker will perform, and a procession of drums and music will lead visitors from Myrtle Edwards Park to the Paccar Pavilion.

Here's the lineup:

Saturday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m.

11 a.m.: Park dedication at the PACCAR Pavilion with SAM officials, Gov. Gregoire and Mayor Nickels.

Opening weekend


Olympic Sculpture Park, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, 2901 Western Ave., Seattle; free (206-654-3100 or www.seattleartmuseum.org). For a virtual tour, go to www.seattletimes.com/sculpturepark.

Noon: Musical performance by singer Josephine Howell, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

1 p.m.: North Indian Dance by Archana Kumar, South Indian Dance by Adhithi Verkat, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

1:30 p.m.: Performance by the Radost Folk Ensemble, Garage Stage.

2 p.m.: Blues by Seattle's Red Hotz, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

2:30 p.m.: Arias by Seattle Opera Young Artists, Garage Stage.

3 p.m.: Music by Gansango's Mandinka Trio, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

3:30 p.m.: Performance by Nu Black Arts West Theatre, Garage Stage.

4 p.m.: Acrobatics by Circus Contraption's Jason Williams and Evelyn Bittner on the Gates Amphitheater Stage.

4:30 p.m.: Iranian dance by Heather Rastovac, Garage Stage.

6-9 p.m.: For teens — food, music and button-making in the Paccar Pavilion.

6 p.m.: Hip-hop from Sabzi of the Blue Scholars, Paccar Pavilion.

7 p.m.: Breakdancing by the Massive Monkees, Paccar Pavilion.

8 p.m.: More hip-hop from Sabzi of the Blue Scholars, Paccar Pavilion.

Sunday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m.

11 a.m.: Performance by Mak Fai Lion Dancers, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

Noon: Irish Dancing by Baile Glas, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

12:15 p.m.: Synchronized jump-roping by Ropeworks Performance Troupe, Garage Stage.

1 p.m.: Guitar music by Andre Feriante, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

1:30 p.m.: Performance by Spoken Word Coming, Garage Stage.

2 p.m.: Taiko performance by Kaze Daiko, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

2:30 p.m.: Performance by the Filipiniana Dance Company, Garage Stage.

3 p.m.: Guitar music by Angelo Pizarro, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

3:30 p.m.: Performance by A Moment in Time, Garage Stage.

4 p.m.: Mariachi music by Fiesta Mexicana, Gates Amphitheater Stage.

5 p.m.: Music by the University Prep Jazz Ensemble, Paccar Pavilion.

Tan Vinh: 206-515-5656 or tvinh@seattletimes.com