Nomade, 2007, painted stainless steel
We made the trip to the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park this summer, of which Nomade, by Jaume Plensa, is the crown jewel. I had only been there once before, and it was really neat to see it through the eyes of my young daughters. The sculpture is huge and hollow, and looks like it was pieced together with an assortment of letters. There’s a cement path that goes right up to and underneath it, which enables you to walk inside the sculpture. My girls loved searching among the letters to spell out their own names.
Panoramic awareness pavilion, 2013, glass, metal, light
Their favorite piece, hands down, was Panoramic awareness pavilion, by Olafur Eliason. It's a large circular structure made of numerous glass panels. Each panel is a single color, with mirrored edges. The colors are arranged in a rainbow gradient with a large light in the center. Sadly, we were there in the bright afternoon sun, so we didn't see it lit up.
Moonrise. east. january, 2005 and Moonrise. east. august, 2006, painted cast aluminum on steel plinth
I was pleasantly surprised when I made my way around a giant pair of bulbous sculptures that turned out to be heads! Moonrise. east. january and Moonrise. east. august by Ugo Rindinone, have an incredible hand-built texture to them - as opposed to some of the more refined, manufactured pieces (that's right, I'm talking about you, Robert Indiana!) I loved their whimsical, creepy expressions, but I don't think my children were particularly fond of the pair.
Post Balzac, 1990, cast bronze
Thinker on a Rock, 1997, bronze and Ancient Forest, 2009, cast bronze
I'm not sure I have a favorite piece, but if I did it would be one of the next four: an upright coat, a contemplating rabbit, or one of the driftwood-looking horses. Post Balzac, by Judith Shea, is a bronze casting that looks like it is the coat belonging to an invisible man. It has an energy, waiting there, like it could be put back on and worn at any time. Thinker on a Rock, by Barry Flanagan, is a sculpture of a cartoony hare perched upon, you guessed it, a rock. The sculpture is made of bronze, and I think what attracts me to it is that it could easily be a 3D rendition of a children’s book character. The cast bronze horses, titled Ancient Forest, look like they are created from an assemblage of driftwood. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had just walked out of a fantasy story into the sculpture garden.
Love, 1966-1999, polychrome aluminum
Robert Indiana is one of my dad's favorite artists, so I couldn't pass up the chance to take a photo of one of his iconic LOVE sculptures. It never fails to amaze me when I get the chance to see artwork in person that I remember studying in art history.
Pumpkin (L), designed 2014 fabricated 2018, bronze
I was delighted to discover Pumpkin (L) by Yayoi Kusama as at the time of our trip, as I was only days away from completing the illustrations for "My Day at the Pumpkin Patch" (written by Kelli Heil.) I really like the clean, circular design of this piece, and if it was a more portable size I would love to have one in my house in the fall!
White Ghost, 2010, fiberglass
The last piece I took a photo of (there are plenty more sculptures at the park) was White Ghost by Yoshitomo Nara, which has its own Google Maps marker (impressive!) I really thought my girls would like this one, but my youngest said the face was scary. I think it was the overwhelming size of the piece that intimidated her the most. Made of white fiberglass, this sculpture also feels like a children’s book character come to life.
If you are in the area and have the chance to see the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. There are visitor guides available, as well as a cell phone tour. The sculpture park is an extension of the Des Moines Art Center, and more information about the art and the park can be found at DesMoinesArtCenter.org.
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