Dr. Amy Dempsey, Art Historian, Writes in Support of "Greenwood Pond: Double Site"

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On May 23, 2024, Dr. Amy Dempsey wrote the following letter to the Des Moines Art Center (DMAC) Director Kelly Baum concerning plans to demolish Greenwood Pond: Double Site, a site-specific installation by the internationally acclaimed leader of the land art movement, Mary Miss, commissioned for the Art Center’s permanent collection. The work, which opened in 1996, is in a diminished condition with some sections fenced off, suggesting the DMAC has not fulfilled its contractual obligation to “reasonably protect and maintain” the work. The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF) is calling for the DMAC to reverse it demolition decision and, instead, to engage in meaningful consultations with the artist and others to find a solution that restores the artwork and develops a long-term, ongoing maintenance plan.

Dear Dr. Baum, Mayor Boesen and Mr. Mandelbaum,     

I am writing from London to add my support to those concerned about the planned destruction of Mary Miss’s Greenwood Pond: Double Site – and to alert you to the fact that the artist and artwork have international support as well as being of local and national significance.     

When I saw a post about the imminent demolition of the work on LinkedIn, I couldn’t quite believe it - especially at a time when:     

• the treatment of women artists and the visibility of art by women is under scrutiny  
• the need for more green spaces, especially in urban areas, is of great urgency   
• the imperative to make art more accessible and welcoming to broader audiences are such HUGE, current issues. I joined the webinar on March 13, 2024 hosted by The Cultural Landscape Foundation and came away even more shocked.     

I am an art historian and the author of three books on Destination Art (2006, 2011 and 2021, destination-art.org). These books have been published in a number of countries and languages and reach an international audience. I included Mary Miss’s Greenwood Pond: Double Site and the Des Moines Art Centre in the first two big survey books, which helped bring your museum, city park and her artwork to an international audience. Sadly, I could not include it in the most recent version due to its uncertain future.     

As an artwork that is relevant to all the issues above, I truly hope that you can find a solution that allows you not only to renovate and maintain the artwork, but to cherish it and promote it for the benefit of all.        

Yours Sincerely,     

Dr. Amy Dempsey  

London, UK

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