Juno

Information
Art Type
Media / Materials
Collection
Year Completed
1989
Credit
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of John and Mary Pappajohn, 2015.7
Location
Latitude & Longitude
41.58537631208454, -93.63469496369362
Location Description
Along Grand Avenue, between 13th and 15th Streets

Juno

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Like “Juno,” all Butterfield’s full-sized horses each have their own names and personalities. They are often described as being distant, reflective, inviting; mystical, spiritual, intangible; playful, peaceful, graceful. They are never associated with people, with riders, and are often portrayed as if they were unaware of a human’s presence.

Deborah Butterfield’s casting process: Butterfield assembles the original by fastening logs, branches, sticks, planks and boards onto an armature that gives the basic posture of the particular horse. The piece is photographed from all sides and angles, particularly the areas where individual pieces are joined. These photographs are used to reconstruct the various elements after casting. A bronze casting of a wood stick is made by taking the natural wood and covering it with ceramic-shell molding material, which is capable of picking up exacting detail. The wood is completely burned away during firing.