We arrived at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and were excited to see one of the most impressive collections of modern sculpture in the country. More than two dozen large sculptures made by internationally acclaimed artists were on display. Some were the artists’ most definitive works. The collectors, the Pappajohns’ made the contribution to the Des Moines Art Center as part of an urban revitalization project for Western Gateway Park. I could sense their personal taste in art immediately. Many sculptures were playful almost toy like. Others displayed a mastery in materials or were transformed through engagement with the viewer. This was my kind of art.
Visitors to the park were out having a good time interacting with the landscape. Children rolled down the slopes of grassy mounds and played hide and seek. Couples were on Sunday strolls and families were enjoying picnic brunches among the sculptures. Dozens of people searched for hidden Pokémon throughout the park.
Landscaped coves that separate the park into galleries that display various themes and artistic styles. Wave forms and parabolic shapes guided us to either focus on the particular pieces or tempted us to move closer and see a better view of a sculpture that was partially hidden. It was a visual feast and the audio tour added so much more to the experience. The narrators pulled from academic discourse and dialogue with the artists the intent of the sculptures and interpreted it into language that was novel and interesting. This allowed us to connect more deeply to what we were seeing. We spent many hours in the park enjoying the playful landscape and sculptures. Their larger-than-life size filled us with wonder. With so many sculptures to engage with it was hard for me to edit it down to the best to share.
Here are just a few:
From afar Jaume Plensa Nomade seduces park goers inside the human form to view the shadows or letters. They become a puzzle that entice people to search for hidden words.
Rondinone’s cast metal expressive busts Moonrise January and August smile and frown. Named in homage to the moon there are a total of twelve reflecting each month of the year. Two are on display here. They were originally modeled in clay and the texture created by the artist’s hand covers the surface.
Olafur Eliasson Panoramic awareness pavilion invites people to enter, explore, and engage inside of the structure. In the daytime the rainbow colors create displays around the piece. At nighttime a light from within create projections.
Yayoi Kusama’s signature polka dots cover this 8-foot bronze Pumpkin. Associations with Halloween make this piece familiar festive and “unpretentious”.
Untitled (Three Dancing Figures, Version C) celebrates Keith Haring’s love of dancing. Unlike his quickly painted temporal murals the primary-colored aluminum sculpture is meant for permanent long-term enjoyment.
Barry Flanagan’s humorous Thinker on the rock displays an expressive hare on a rock. It challenges Rodin’s famous thinker sculpture.
A dog and a human are combined in Yoshitomo Nara’s White Ghost. The contrast of the materials-fragile glossy white fiberglass and eternal stone base question the demise of the sculpture and his own morality.
Scott Burton’s Seating for eight and café has eight stone seats surrounding a table that are meant to be used. The sculpture is only complete when the seats are occupied.
Robert Indiana’s popular Love sculpture harnesses the power of a single word. It is a great place to pose for a photo. Now take a moment to think. Which of these sculptures to you think is the favorite to 75% of the visitors to the park filled with more than two dozen sculptures?
If you guessed Jaume Plensa Nomade you are correct. Which is your favorite?
