The Walker Art Center announced Monday that The Cherry will be reunited with its other half at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden February 18.

Last November The Cherry of Minneapolis' famed Spoonbridge and Cherry sculpture was separated and transported out to New York for a "glow up." According to the Walker Art Center, the 1200 pound aluminum ball and stem requires a fresh coat of paint every 10 years to keep its red color "crisp and glossy." The last time The Cherry was separated from The Spoon for restoration and repainting was in 2009.

Naturally, many Minnesotans wondered why The Cherry had to be transported all the way to New York for a fresh paint job; couldn't it get one here in its home state?

"Couldn't a body shop in Minnesota do this?" asked Jackie Santopietro on Walker Art Center's Facebook post.

"Isn’t there anyone local who can paint this?" wondered Jonny Sands, "Instead of the carbon footprint of shipping it to NY!

"Seems silly to send this to New York to be painted," added Scott Sanford. "Looks like they are [painting] this in an automotive or industrial booth with a simple HVLP gun. Why ship across country when this state is full of talented people?"

While a satisfactory answer hasn't been proffered, the Walker Art Center did share some photos to social media of The Cherry receiving its paint job.

The Spoonbridge and Cherry is the work of 1960's Pop Artist Claes Oldenburg and his wife Coosje van Bruggen. One of the couple's most celebrated collaborations, it was the first piece commissioned for the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1988. The Spoonbridge was  Oldenburg's idea, inspired by a novelty item he'd collected earlier of a spoon resting on an "island" of plastic chocolate. The Cherry was van Bruggen's contribution -- a "personal symbol recalling happy moments in a childhood clouded by World War II." Read more about the sculpture and Walker Art Center here.

The Cherry will be reunited with its other half Friday, February 18.

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