Jackie Ferrara, Artist, Writes in Support of "Greenwood Pond: Double Site"
On January 23, 2024, Jackie Ferrara 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 Kelly Baum,
I urge you to reconsider how the museum intends to solve the problem of an aging extraordinary land art work. Your initial steps are heartbreaking and cruel.
Rather than destroying it, without any artist involvement, why not work with Mary to find a manageable solution that is agreeable to both the museum and the artist?
Please, wait and see what the artist proposes.
Sincerely,
Jackie Ferrara
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