Martin Puryear, Artist, Writes in Support of "Greenwood Pond: Double Site"
On January 29, 2024, Martin Puryear 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 Director Baum,
I am writing regarding the impending decision to permanently dismantle the environmental installation Greenwood Pond: Double Site by artist Mary Miss in the collection of the Des Moines Art Center.
I am dismayed by this decision.
Greenwood Pond: Double Site is a major work by an artist who has forged a new vision for art in the public realm, in this case by reclaiming a neglected wetland and transforming it into a public amenity outside the museum walls. The work is the result of years of research, integrating environmental stewardship and landscape design, shaped by an artist's poetic vision.
I hope this decision can be reconsidered. Losing this work, and the vision it represents, would be a huge loss both for the Des Moines Art Center, and the city of Des Moines.
Yours truly,
Martin Puryear
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