The Des Moines Art Center will open a new 4.4 acre sculpture park in the heart of downtown Des Moines, on September 27, 2009. The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park will be built directly within a major crossroads of the urban grid, making it unlike any other sculpture garden in the United States, and will contribute to the ongoing revitalization of the surrounding neighborhood. It will feature 24 works donated to the museum by the Pappajohns, including eight new promised gifts from the couple’s renowned collection of contemporary sculpture and a new commission by artist Deborah Butterfield.
The Pappajohns’ initial contribution of 16 works for the park—the most significant donation of artwork ever made in a single gift to the museum—included sculpture by Louise Bourgeois, Richard Serra, Martin Puryear, Ellsworth Kelly, Willem de Kooning, and Anthony Caro, among others, and was valued at more than $25 million. This collection will be united with a second gift of eight works by Sol LeWitt, Tony Smith, Gary Hume, Ugo Rondinone, and Deborah Butterfield in a permanent installation in the city’s Western Gateway Park, which offers a pedestrian entranceway to downtown Des Moines.
“The John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park will change the cultural landscape of the city in a dramatic way unseen since the opening of the Des Moines Art Center in 1948,” said Des Moines Art Center director Jeff Fleming. “The impact of the Pappajohns’ gift on the museum and the city cannot be over emphasized. It will contribute to the dynamism of the city and add a new dimension to the museum experience.”
The sculpture park will strengthen Des Moines’ progressive public art program, which enhances the city’s physical environment by installing works of art by venerated artists at public buildings and lands. Works currently on display include pieces by Andrew Goldsworthy, Mary Miss, Bruce Nauman, Claes Oldenburg, and Richard Serra.
New York-based project architects Diana Agrest and Mario Gandelsonas, who developed a master plan for the city of Des Moines in the early 1990’s, have created a design for the new park featuring a rolling landscape and crescent-shaped open cutaways that will frame the sculptures. Backdrop walls eight feet high will be carved out of mounds running through the garden. The landscaping constructs a narrative of suspense, as all of the works will not be visible at the same time. Two large-scale works, Mark di Suvero’s untitled geometric piece and Jaume Plensa’s Nomade, will anchor the southern side of the park, where they will provide dramatic views for commuters driving east on Locust Street. Pedestrians moving more slowly through the park will see the rest of the works emerge by themselves or in small groups. A master plan for the installation of the sculpture is being developed by an advisory committee comprised of the Pappajohns and representatives from the museum and the city.
The park will be situated 32 blocks east of the Des Moines Art Center. Installation of the works is expected to begin in late spring 2009. The Art Center hopes to develop digital technology to help visitors to the park interpret the works and understand their relationship to the art on view at the museum.
The total value of the works that will be on view in the sculpture park is estimated at $40 million. The artists to be represented include:
Louise Bourgeois
Scott Burton
Deborah Butterfield
Anthony Caro
Tony Cragg
Willem de Kooning
Mark di Suvero
Barry Flanagan
Gary Hume
Ellsworth Kelly
Sol Lewitt
Jaume Plensa
Martin Puryear
Ugo Rondinone
Richard Serra
Joel Shapiro
Judith Shea
Tony Smith
William Tucker
The park is a collaboration between the city of Des Moines and the Des Moines Art Center. The museum has successfully completed a $6.1 million campaign to fund the park with the support of individuals, corporations, and foundations. The city of Des Moines will oversee the park’s maintenance and operations, and the museum will maintain the artworks.
John and Mary Pappajohn
Mary and John Pappajohn of Des Moines embody the American dream. Emigrating from Greece as a child, John later worked his way through the University of Iowa. He has achieved extraordinary business successes—starting his own businesses and investing in others. Today, John is one of the state’s most successful entrepreneurs and venture capitalists. His wife Mary has been his partner in philanthropic endeavors that have provided nearly $50 million for scholarships, educational initiatives, and community development. John’s civic endeavors are broad, including serving as a trustee at the Des Moines Art Center, as a member of the National Committee of the Performing Arts and the Collectors Committee for the National Gallery of Art. From 1997–2006, he and his wife Mary were recognized as one of the top 200 art collectors in the world by ARTnews magazine.
The Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center, located in the heart of the Midwest, is recognized nationally and internationally for its collection of modern and contemporary art. Since its founding in 1948, the art museum has built a collection which represents the major artists from the nineteenth century to the present, each with a seminal work. Holdings range from Edward Hopper’s Automat to Jasper Johns’ Tennyson, Henri Matisse’s Woman in White, Georgia O’Keeffe’s From the Lake No. 1, and Francis Bacon’s Study after Velásquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X.
The museum’s physical complex reflects the institution’s mission to celebrate and collect contemporary art, creating a fully integrated experience. The collection is housed in three buildings, each designed by a world–renowned architect—Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. With the exception of special events, admission to the museum is free. Hours are Tuesday–Friday 11 am–4 pm; Saturday 10 am–4 pm; every Thursday 11 am–9 pm; Sunday Noon–4 pm; closed Monday.
www.desmoinesartcenter.org
