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 …
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.
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 spaces he creates …
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 …
This outdoor installation, commissioned by the Des Moines Art Center, was created from 1989 to 1996 in consultation with local citizen groups, municipal agencies, and scientists. According to Miss, it is one of only eight permanent land works by the influential artist that remain intact, and is considered a pivotal work in her career. The museum selected Miss, Richard Serra, …
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 …
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.
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 …
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. …
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 …
The sculpture was commissioned by The Waldinger Foundation, Des Moines, Iowa, 1975. It was presented in 1975 to the Tifereth Israel Synagogue by the Waldinger and Duitch Families in loving memory of their dear parents and grandparents, Harry and Golda Waldinger, and Jacob and Jessie Duitch, on the 75th anniversary of the congregation.
Four towering, grey limestone blocks stand on this site: two rough-cut pillars, each comprised of two stones, were erected so that their extreme edges are about 22-feet apart. The four mammoth stones are paired so that their smoothly textured (opposite) sides face east/west and their adjacent surfaces that bulge with weathered, geological accretions face north/south. The fifth stone cube, a …
Decoy is a bronze-sculpture by the artist Martin Puryear that is composed of two elements, a large, circular disk that appears to hover a few inches off the ground and a periscope-like appendage that protrudes from the edge of the disk. The perception that the base of the sculpture is hovering can be understood in relation to the title of the work; it …
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.
Prairie Wind dominates the lobby of a major downtown Des Moines building and is most often viewed from a skywalk level. Its arcs and dips illustrate the wind whipping through the prairie.Asked about his inspiration, Hornecker states: “My work is built around my interest in the history and topography of the landscape. Rivers, land forms, rocks, trees, and the way …
“Prairie Tower” is the largest Italian glass mosaic tile mural in the United States, and pays homage to the history of the native Iowa prairie. A double repeating pattern of native plants in a stylized deco landscape of field and sky serves as the image for the “Paragon Prairie Tower.” The main elements of the concept include the tower constructed …
Cork Marcheschi, currently living in San Francisco, CA, was commissioned in 1986 to create “Plains Aurora” for the State Historical Building. The Historical Building is located near the Iowa State Capitol on the east end of downtown Des Moines (today known as the Historic East Village). “Plains Aurora,” a 32-foot sculpture, is made of sandblasted glass blocks on the exterior, …
The sculpture called “Family at Corner” was created by Watson Powell, Jr. , who served as chairman, CEO and president of American Republic Insurance Company. Following the path made from a drawing by Powell, and the work was cut from a flat-sheet of bronze using a laser cutter. The figurative elements were welded together to create the grouping. In 1967, …
About the Project Designed by Evelyn B. Longman of New York, the monument’s central plaque picturing Allison is flanked by symbols of “Knowledge” on the left and “Peace” on the right. The former is followed by “Legislature” and “Financial Prosperity,” the latter by “Humanity” and “Agricultural Prosperity.” The topmost figure, “The Republic.” About William B. Allison In 1917, …
Fabricated by the artists of RDG Dahlquist Art Studio including: Jen Anderson, Larry Bredeson, Jeff Blosser, Darla DeGroot, Brian Frederiksen, Chad French, Matt Johnson, Justin Richert, Chris Rodi, and Rick Stewart. Special recognition to Don Scandrett for stained glass fabrication. Additional services were provided by Travis Rice, with metal work by Jim Dawson, Ken Hyde and Josh Crook of Iowa …