Huma Bhabha’s “Even Stones Have Eyes” (2023) is the 32nd sculpture installed at the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The 12-foot-high bronze female figure has one arm and stands on a peg leg. The dark patina of the bronze suggests the passage of time. While monumental in size, she is vulnerable. Bhabha often explores such dualities in her work, …
Hulking Giants, part of a project called Tilting at Windmills, are shown on both corners of the Cubic form of the artist’s studio. They are respectively 576cm (19ft) and 384cm (13ft) high and 64cm (2.1ft) wide. Both are attached to a synchronized digital loop player. These two (2) visual art displays rotate at a constant speed of about 3 seconds …
The Black Crown of Perpetual Loss builds upon artist Larassa Kabel’s frequent use of animals to explore difficult truths about love and death. Inspired by a small Bronze Age figure in The Menil Collection of Houston, TX, Kabel’s bronze sculpture uses a two-headed stag to represent the intrinsic ties between love and loss. The stags are modeled on fallow deer, …
River Constellation is a responsive sculpture evoking a thicket of light and sound, honoring the donors who support Des Moines’ Water Works Park. Forty-five (45) ten-foot tall poles holding 12-inch diameter orbs that softly pulse with light are arranged to suggest the path of the Raccoon River through Water Works Park’s 1,500 acre natural environment. Individual rings mounted to the …
Water plays a critical role in a community’s quality of life, from public health and safety to recreation and beauty. Knowing what a watershed is and how we can each play a role in preserving its function and value is important but rarely understood. The West Des Moines Public Arts Advisory Commission use this public art initiative to raise awareness …
An icon of American Modern Art — LOVE — 1969-1999, is the signature work of art by artist Robert Indiana. The word Love in upper-case letters, arranged in a square with a tilted letter “O”. Beginning in 1964, Indiana began to create images and objects using the word LOVE. Indiana maintained that a single word could be a viable subject …
“Iron Tree Trunk” (2015) a life-sized cast of a tree found in the Jiangxi Province of Weiwei’s native China, unites individual pieces of iron into a whole structure. Its size comes matched by small nuances, down to tree rings around the base and weathered cracks in the bark. This massive cast of a tree references both the cultural tradition of …
This public art work, RAGBRAI: River to River (working title), honors two individuals, John Karras and Donald Kaul, who founded RAGBRAI is the oldest, largest and longest recreational bicycle touring event in the world. RAGBRAI is an acronym and registered trademark for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which is a non-competitive bicycle ride organized by The Des Moines Register and …
Yayoi Kusama’s family ran a seed and plant nursery in her native Japan, and the artist grew up surrounded by fields of plants. As a result, pumpkins, usually covered in the artist’s signature fields of polka dots, have appeared in her art since she was a young girl. “It seems pumpkins do not inspire much respect,” Kusama once said. “But …
All is flux, nothing stays still. A Greek quotation attributed to Heraclitus: “All is flux, nothing stays still” is an appropriate way to begin to talk about Miffy Fountain. The sight and sound of moving water is both stimulating and entrancing. Throughout history, people have attempted to shape and control this elusive element in fountains. From the beginning, fountains have …
Located in Gray’s Lake Park, Gray’s Lake Bridge is an urban gem. After extensive renovations, the area opened as a City park in 2001. It has drawn people looking for a place of peaceful retreat and outdoor recreation and provides a beautiful gateway to downtown Des Moines. In 1998, David and Elizabeth Kruidenier came forward with a vision for Grays Lake Park and …
The Volutes Tapestry, 98 h x 75 w inches (249 x 190 cm) was designed in 1959 by the Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, one of the great European pioneers of modern art. His signature is woven in the reverse side. “Volutes” is a French word for an architectural description of a kind of scrollwork of shells. This work was made from …
In creating the concept design for this project, Troy Corliss considered the public viewing opportunities for the suspended art on the second floor of the waiting area at the DART Central Station. He believed that a colorful and translucent tapestry symbolizing the tall grass prairie will produce a vibrant and intriguing image above the main entrance of the building. The suspended …
A mural painting by Doug Shelton is located in the lobby of the former Hotel Kirkwood, 400 Walnut St., Des Moines. The Hotel Kirkwood, built in 1930, is located in the heart of downtown Des Moines. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Made of welded CorTen steel (corrosion resistant steel) and malleable iron, The Pipes of Pan measures 282 inches (23 feet, 6 inches) high and 22 inches in diameter. It was commissioned in 1992 for one of the first interactive science centers in the world—the Science Center of Iowa. This outdoor public installation was created for the Science Center’s original site in Greenwood Park. Featured are a large …
Transportation Signature was created by artist David Dahlquist and RDG IA Inc. (dba RDG Dahlquist Art Studio) for theDes Moines Area Regional Transit Authority (DART) in downtown Des Moines. This screen-wall is located just south of DART’s multi-modal hub, based on the words “Des Moines” written in script. The commission was approved in 2012. The project, 9-feet height and 180-feet long, …
The mural Rainy Day in Des Moines is no longer accessible. Since 2016, an interior wall on the 2nd floor (skywalk level) of the Equitable Building has covered the mural. Doug Shelton’s mural captures a historical street view of the 19-story Equitable Building which towered above Des Moines’ skyline at 604 Locust Street when completed in 1924. It remained the tallest building …
According to the artist, this 2001-2003 sculpture references real psychological states and human movement that are caught between implosion and explosion, between troubling collapse and exuberant release. The author Michele Gerber Klein suggested that the artist’s “work is about longing and impossibility.” Here Shapiro courts gravity as a sculptural partner, and his sculpture plays with gravity’s pull in an interactive …
This monumental sculpture is characteristic of the brilliant geometric forms which James Rosati created. It is made up of elements that are rectilinear, but no two lines or planes are parallel. Because of the angles of the planes in these non-symmetrical elements, the forms seem to advance or recede in space. This sense of movement is enhanced by the changing …
Ellsworth Kelly’s visual vocabulary is drawn from observation of the world around him—shapes and colors found in plants, architecture, shadows on a wall or a lake. This creative way of communicating has been shaped by his interest in the spaces between places and objects and between his work and its viewers. The artist has said, “In my work, I don’t …
This unique public artwork is titled “Swirl ” — the sculpture’s depth is 28 feet, width is 94 feet, and height is 28 feet. Swirl is made up of nine stainless steel uprights and more than 8,000 LED lights that are suspended in the air. The LED lights are programed to display prerecorded images each night at dusk [after sunset and just before night] …
The High Trestle Bridge stands 13 stories high and spans ½ mile across the Des Moines River between Madrid and Woodward. The “portals” or vertical elements that form a gateway to the Des Moines River Bridge are sculptural symbols that speak to this geology, the cutting and slicing of nature that forms this river valley. Seen from a distance, they …
In “Thinker on a Rock” the artist substitutes his signature hare for Rodin’s Thinker (1880), making a witty and irreverent reference to one of the world’s best-known sculptures. Other Barry Flanagan statues of “Thinker on a Rock” are located in Utrecht, Netherlands and in Washington, D.C. in the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden.
In the Morning” is a a cast bronze sculpture, initially formed in clay from a model during a workshop in Upstate New York. Although Anthony Caro is best known for his abstract sculpture in steel and other materials, he is no stranger to the figure. His conversion to abstraction took place after a visit to the US in 1959, but …
October 2023: Currently not on view. Panoramic awareness pavilion (2013), was commissioned for the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines, Iowa. It is at once a large-scale light sculpture, which demands distance for proper appreciation, and a pavilion, which invites its audience to enter, explore, and engage with the work from within the structure. The circular work …
The porcelain tile mural, 34 feet by 4 feet, is a pictorial timeline of the history of Des Moines and marks the area’s first non-Native American settlement of 1843. The mural is built into the brick wall near a 1840s log cabin on the west bank of the Des Moines River, north of its confluence with the Raccoon River−the birthplace …
The installation is composed of 190 repurposed glass domes from front-loading washing machines that are internally lit with colored programmable LED lights. These lights can be played in a computer sequence that produces an infinite patterns and rainbow-color combinations. The artwork was executed for the Davis Brown Tower by an artist who goes only by the name, STRETCH.
Column of Change is a bronze bas-relief with numerous abstracted human figures moving across the piece. The figures more in an upward direction, represent the overcoming of obstacles and setbacks.
The dimensions of The Theatre is 10 x 28 x 14 feet.
This public art project by Anna Gaskell, a site specific project at the Iowa Events Center, was approved by the Polk County Board of Supervisors in 2005. The work of art, called “Until the Woods Began to Move”, is composed of a hedge maze and video; the artist’s statement is incorporated into the site. Gaskell’s art is intensely psychological. She’s …
As a locus for explorations of both form and function, chairs occupy a position of singular importance. The works presented here attest to his passion for combining fine art and practical design and, in the process, opening up the scope of inquiry in both disciplines. The natural shapes of these chairs, and their beautiful surface—variously rough and smooth—inject aesthetic pleasure …
Dedicated to peace and peacemakers, a ten-ton limestone sculpture, named “Path of Peace,” by Ron Dinsdale, portrays of three doves. It was installed on May 10, 2012 near Interstate 235 just south of Des Monies Area Community College’s Urban Campus. The sculpture was created out of a solid 14-ton block of Indiana Bedford limestone, one of the materials used to …
“Victory Victory” is a monument honoring black officers from the First World War and the first Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC) of the Second World War. This welded stainless steel sculpture takes on an abstract shape whose fluid and flamelike forms recall the splashy brushstrokes of Abstract Expressionist painters. The sculpture is surrounded by a large granite reflecting pool with …
“Willy” is one of Smith’s important early large-scale works and masterfully combines abstract geometric forms with human characteristics. “Willy” involves complex polyhedral shapes. The flat black planes of steel twist into each other, suggesting an anthropomorphic (or human) form. The title comes from a Samuel Beckett play “Happy Days” (1961), in which the character “Willie” crawls submissively around his wife, …
A year prior to visiting what would be the site of their first-ever public art commission, Claes Oldenburg and his wife and collaborator, Coosje van Bruggen, paid a visit to van Bruggen’s father, who in retirement had begun to grow a long and ragged beard. The couple joked that this beard gave him the appearance of Robinson Crusoe, the famous castaway character …
The State of Iowa erected this monument, funded partially by refunded war taxes, to commemorate Iowans who fought during the Civil War. The monument was approved in 1888, the cornerstone was laid in 1894, and the structure was completed two years later. Because a controversy developed over the location and artistic details of the monument, nearly 50 years passed before …
Viola Frey’s giant ceramic sculptures of men and women are among the under-appreciated wonders of late 20th-Century art. Rising upwards of eleven feet, they have an imposing physical presence and a clunky, cartoonish ugliness. Roughly glazed in strident colors and made in sections that fit together like blocks in a stone wall, they could be mistaken for a …
The artist, Louise Bourgeois, has been using spiders in her work since the 1940s, and in the 1990s began sculpting them into colossal forms like this. Surprisingly, she sees them not as ominous predators, but as a symbol for her much beloved mother. For the artist, whose work has explored themes of childhood memory and loss, the spider carries associations …
Signed “C. H. Niehaus 1925”, The World War I Monument in Des Moines, Iowa, was created by Charles Henry Niehaus. About Iowa in World War I Of the 500,000 Iowa men registered for the draft, about 115,000 served in the armed forces. Camp Dodge a few miles northwest of Des Moines became a major training center for new troops. Soldiers …
Gymnast III is cast in bronze and more than seven-feet tall. The “Gymnast” series of sculpture captures the basic strength of a bending and stretching athlete, rather than with the kind of virtuosity that brings an Olympic audience to its feet. Limbering up, not performing, is its subject matter. The figure is highly simplified. Although neither head, nor arms nor …
“Marriage” is one of Smith’s important early large-scale works and masterfully combines abstract geometric forms with human characteristics. Formally, “Marriage” offers an arch for the viewer to pass through, and presents a dialogue between the various connecting rectangular blocks. The work’s title, a dominant cultural institution, implies a specific interpretation for the sculpture.
The French noun plantoir is a pointed hand-tool for making holes in the ground for seeds or young plants. This tool often called a dibble and sometimes a trowel. This whimsical, oversize gardener’s trowel titled “Plantoir” created by artists Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, was designed specifically for outdoor viewing in a garden setting. The brilliant red digging tool is an exaggeration in form and color. …
Expansion was fabricated by the artist in collaboration with Derix Glasstudios in 2012-13 and installed on site between October 21 and 23, 2013. Illuminated from behind with 39,060 LED lights, the mural is located on the exterior wall of the triangular pump station and faces north towards the HubSpot Plaza and pavilion where, Kaneko’s signature “dango” sculptures stand. In April …
The sculpture is adjacent to the building that houses the Iowa Supreme Court and at the top of the hill overlooking the Des Moines skyline. It is in commemoration of the 170th anniversary of the landmark 1839 Iowa Territorial Supreme Court ruling that prohibited slave Ralph Montgomery from being extradited back to Missouri after he failed to raise the $550 …
Extending the full width of the east wall over the staircase is the great mural painting, “Westward,” an idealized representation depicts early pioneers traveling through Iowa. Pioneers are led across the West by Spirits of Enlightenment, symbolized by the air-borne female holding an open book, and Civilization, symbolized by similar figures sowing grain. The Spirits of Stream and Electricity, holding …
“Prairie Song” consists of five 20-foot tall blades of prairie grass, made from stainless steel. Each“leaf” encases a corrugated steel tube filled with steel balls that rattle in the wind. The artist team calibrated the poles’ hinges to sway in a heavy gust of wind. Like seeds using the wind, these pods chime with the movement of the stalks. Each …
The artist created 72 six-inch tiles fabricated in concrete with dyed color variations. Each tile has textural engraving with contoured lines depicting images. The contoured lines are filled with colored slurry that compliments the tile and the color theme of the streetscape improvements. The theme and subject of the tiles include: celebrate community, history, family, friendship, citizenship, stewardship, nature, city …
Made of cast bronze and stone, Judith Shea’s sculpture is 110 x 28-1/2 x 28-1/2 inches. In addition to artist Judith Shea’s articulate comments — accessed from the audio link — an insight into this artwork is provided from examining “Study for Balzac’s Dressing Gown” by Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917) in the Collection of the Musee Rodin in Paris, France. …
The 12-foot high, cast-bronze sculpture, Animal Pyramid (1990), is a triangular composition of seventeen separate animals cast from the taxidermy forms of caribou, deer, and foxes. Standing on the backs of five caribou are eight deer rearing their front legs as if jumping. The crown of the Animal Pyramid are four foxes balancing on the heads each deer. Animal Pyramid has elements …
Artist Jun Kaneko is a pioneer in the field of monumental ceramic sculpture. His five ceramic signature dangos (meaning rounded-form or dumpling in Japanese) were dedicated at a public celebration on November 13, 2012. The artist created this series of five ovular sculptures from 2001-2009. The hand built, ceramic works stand about 7.5 feet in height and resemble vases without …
Influenced by the monumental steel sculptures of David Smith and Alexander Calder, “Landscape Piece #1” is made of steel treated with zinc. It is a signature sculpture, composed of a pair of large cantilevered slabs of wood and steel. Monumental examples of similar compositions are located at the entrance of the Kansas City Art Institute; and a park in northern …
In 1977, a sculpture was commissioned by the State of Iowa for the Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship in Des Moines. The commission is Cosmic Seed, a seminal work by American artist Ronald Bladen. Its tensile energy is extracted from the connections between perfect planes, elegant forms, and careful consideration of spaces and voids. An outdoor, monumental sculpture, Cosmic …
[…] the front of Principal Park in Des Moines frames the steel sculpture of a stylized baseball by Iowa sculptor James Ellwanger. [Made of Galvanized steel, aluminum chip paint], the sculpture honors former Iowa Cubs owner Ken Grandquist (1923-1999) and is a gift from his family. A plaque there says, “Like the seams of a baseball which never end, Ken …
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Despite steel’s well established use in 20th-century sculpture, Richard Serra chose to work with this medium in part because he felt the ubiquitous metal art of the time was not using the material for it’s inherent qualities-qualities he understood because of his early jobs at steel yards. Of this he said, “It had not been used for its weight, its …
Nara, who often uses dogs and children as subjects in his work, has uniquely combined the two for “White Ghost.” The sculptures are glossy white fiberglass, and sit on rough stone-like bases, referencing how artifacts and monuments from the past often appear in museums. By presenting the sculptures in such a way, he considers the future ruins of his own …
Anna and A.H. Blank established the Raymond Blank Memorial Hospital for Children in Des Moines in 1944 in honor of their son, who died at the young age of 33. It was the only civilian hospital built during WWII. A.H. Blank, known for his generous holiday parties for patients, was a philanthropist who had made his fortune in the movie theater …
The “Life Flight Memorial” is composed of four bronze life size, female figures and serves as a monument to the crews of Life Flight helicopters. Dimensions: four life size figures, 64″ X 88″ X 52″
The East Village “Rack-n-Roll Project” was funded in part and guided by the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation. The project was an open competition, resulting in over 20 entries from Iowa artists. The bicycle “art racks” are functional pieces that serve the dual purpose of securing bicycles while introducing public art into the East Village streetscape. The bicycle art …
In 2011, ASI Custom Sheet Metal, Inc. was contacted by Des Moines artist, James Ellwanger, to build a life size replica of the Statue of Liberty’s crown to be placed atop of the new Exile Brewing Company restaurant in downtown Des Moines, Iowa. Framed of a steel structure and then cladded in copper, the life sized crown measures approximately 30ft …
The mural cycle took from September 1937 to December 1941 to complete. Artist Harry Donald Jones was assisted by three other artists, Opal Adams, Paul Paffinbarger, and Paul Backensten, and a crew of 18 WPA workers, mainly plasterers. Historian and author Gregg R. Narber Ph.D. wrote in 1982: “The Children’s Reading Room was decorated under the WPA in true fresco on …
The artist’s site-specific sculpture celebrates the rise and fall of the land and experience of seeing the work through walking or driving past the Des Moines Art Center. The hill shifts in two directions and the stones mark the shift in the landscape. Intended to be human scale, the approximately five (5) feet high stones were quarried in Sweden. A …
Texas pink granite.
“Dephinus” is the latin word for Dolphin. In contemporary use, the word is used to refer to the genus name of the common dolphin in taxonomy and to a constellation that was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer, Ptolemy. Although Dolphins are generally considered to be benign and intelligent creatures, the bronze sculpture by the artist Eric …
T8 is a bold, dynamic work that punctuates the urban street corner as traffic flows east along Locust Street. This monumental piece has consistently drawn critical acclaim, confronting audiences with a vivid orange-red color and mesmerizing even the casual passer-by with subtle energy and intricate proportion.The artist draws inspiration from many sources including mathematics, physics, music, poetry and astronomy. From …
The “Folded” concept is a central form in Benton’s work. As suggested by its title, Folded Circle Zig, the piece consists of circular, pie-shaped slices, and zig forms. They are engaged in a dynamic rhythmic interaction with each other and with the negative space suggested by the solid forms; the void is a vital element of the sculpture.
A Veteran’s Prayer for Eternal Peace is a 15-foot-high, bronze sculpture at the center of a memorial to military chaplains. A large, cupped pair of hands is supported by a series of short poles. The hands are in the center of a circular plaza with a walkway that includes benches, depictions of chaplains, and symbols of religious beliefs.
Portrayed in his signature bowtie and business suit, this sculpture depicts Des Moines entrepreneur John Ruan, Sr. (1914-2010). Ruan established the foundation that sponsors the World Food Prize. The Prize honors the achievements of individuals who have advanced human development by improving the quality, quantity or availability of food in the world. The sculpture of John Ruan is sited so …
The painted and fused glass installation called “Slides” is integrated into the Laboratory’s visitor entrance. It is arranged within a triangular-shaped atrium. The exterior glass walls are faced with either a grid or row of glass sheets imprinted with a countryside vista or detail. There are four layers of translucent panels positioned in front of each scene of nature. This …
From an edition of 3: The other two casts of “Three Way Piece No. 1: Points are located at the Law School Garden at Columbia University, New York, and in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia.
In the audio guides available for free to John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park visitors, the Des Moines Art Center’s assistant curator Laura Burkhalter speaks with great interest about the glossy surfaces of this pair of sculptures by the British artist, Gary Hume. The work of the Young British Artists (YBA) group, with which Hume exhibited and is often associated, has many affinities with …
Willem de Kooning’s sculpture is the least-known aspect of his work. The sculpture, depicting de Kooning’s classic elemental woman.De Kooning made his first sculptures in 1969, a group of thirteen hand-sized bronzes based on the human figure. It was not until 1980, however, that he was able to complete the first of the monumental sculptures.
Not on view. Dedicated May 16, 2006, this work of art by the American artist Siah Armajani, is completed only when someone enters it, sits down to play chess or reads the poetry or in some way becomes a participant. Armajani has created such environments all over the world, and they all reflect his belief in public art. These public …
In the 1982 “A Catalog of New Des Mural Projects in Iowa”, co-authors Lea Rosson DeLong and Gregg R. Narber explained that the Chamberlain’s painting “portrays play and recreational activities of children: track, tennis, marbles, bike riding, band, boy scouts, and a flag raising.” In the 1930’s the famous murals, under the direction of Grant Wood, were painted for the …
John Collier created this eight-foot statue of Dr. Norman E. Borlaug (1914 – 2009), the agronomist, humanitarian, father of the Green Revolution and founder of The World Food Prize. The artist depicts the scientist in his work clothes. The figure of Dr. Borlaug stands in the public gardens of the Borlaug Hall of Laureates and faces northwest towards his grandparents’ farm …
Fabricated in aluminum and coated in white enamel, Ugo Rondinone’s series of sculptures are cast from olive trees found in the countryside outside Naples, Italy—the hometown of the artist’s parents. Italian law mandated that rubber casts be done on-site. In the foundry, wax gave way to a final aluminum cast, painted in weather-resistant white paint and weighing approximately one ton. In …
Although the two Back of a Snowman sculptures present in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park are displayed together, they are actually two distinct examples of a larger series of sculptures that are identical in their dimensions but vary in color. The simplified form that British artist, Gary Hume, refers to as “snowman” also appears in a series of paintings …
Widely recognized as a major figure in American art, Davis won many awards and received honors from various museums and art organizations throughout the 1950s. The” Allée” commission marked Stuart Davis’ return to mural painting after a fifteen year hiatus. Davis visited Drake University in June of 1954 to meet with Eero Saarinen to select a location for his commissioned …
In the 1982 “A Catalog of New Des Mural Projects in Iowa”, co-authors Lea Rosson DeLong and Gregg R. Narber explained that the Grooms’ painting “portrays school activities of children and, in its center, the adult world of work: two classrooms are shown, one obviously a biology class, as well as a shop classroom. The adult work shown is building, …
Quantum Leaf, about 15 feet in diameter and 11 feet in height and signed in the bronze “S PETTUS 2005”, looks like an oversized dying leaf with its edges curled. The sculpture was created as a fountain with water pouring from the leaf-form into a shallow circular pond. This public art project borders Grand Avenue, at the south edge of …
Rondinone’s series Moonrise—his 2005 figurative sculptures—are eight-foot-high busts derived from masks. Modeled in clay before being cast in aluminum and painted, the sculptures reveal the enduring marks of the artist’s hand. Rondinone has long been interested in the subject of time, and he represents it here by the relationship between moon, tide, and calendar. One of a series of the twelve sculptures, it was …
Man and Pegasus was made in an edition of six. The artist installed one cast at his home and sculpture park in Sweden after his retirement in 1950. The other bronze casts are in an office plaza in Dallas; the Hakone Open-Air Museum in Japan; the Middleheim Sculpture Park in Antwerp; and in Djakarta, India.
Prairie Emergence represents prairie grasses sprouting from the earth.
“Iowa Made: By Land and Hand” (Diego Rivera meets Grant Wood) – Awarded by the Iowa State Fair Board of Trustees and the State of Iowa, the ceramic mural and floor medallion is the public art focal point at the south entrance to the Knapp Varied Industries Building. The project “Iowa Made: By Land and Hand” (2002) is a 72 …
The sculpture is in commemoration of Constance “Connie” Newman Belin (1930-1980), a community leader and philanthropist. The work was given by Leonard and Eileen Newman, brother and sister-in-law.
The abstract steel sculpture is 252″ x 96″ x 48″.Savage & Ver Ploeg Inc., architectects ; Crose-Gardner & Associates, landscape architects.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION In 2019, the Americans for the Arts awarded A Monumental Journey one of the 50 best public art projects in North America. Honoring NBA Founders The project honors the National Bar Association founders: 12 courageous African-American attorneys who — in Des Moines, IA — changed the course of American history in 1925. At a time when the American …
This sculpture symbolizes the earth and the elements and their interaction. It fills a grassy island that is part of a popular business park in a northwest suburb of Des Moines and can be seen from Interstate 80.
The imagery recalls the history of Urbandale, Iowa, and a beacon marks a new destination/location.The Urbandale High School Corner Commission established a memorial on the south- west corner of 70th and Douglas to commemorate the school site. The 1925 cornerstone from the original brick building and plaques commemorating the graduating class members from 1937-1966 are part of the memorial. A …
Prominently featured in the main lobby of the 2012 central station of DART (Des Moines Area Regional Transit), Lynn Basa’s terrazzo floor design is made with crushed-up, recycled glass, mirror, and mother of pearl from old buttons. The stylized image hints at the city’s transportation history, with a DART route in yellow and gray stripes for the streets. Two blue …
The Robert D. Ray Asian Gardens features a 43.5′(L) x 24′ (W) x 37′(H) Asian pavilion atop an undulating bridge spanning a pond that cascades into the Des Moines River with a series of waterfalls. Accented by stone pagodas, lanterns and sculptural rock formations, the Asian garden’s flowing lyrical ambiance transports the strolling visitor to a picturesque Far Eastern paradise. …
The “Joy of Music” sculptures, life-size and cast bronze edition of 21, are located throughout the United States including in the Civic Center of Loveland, Colorado; Hastings College, Nebraska; Rodman Center for the Arts, Ripon College, Wisconsin; Dearborn, Michigan; Holland, Michigan; and in the house of the woman who inspired the work of art.