R.M. Fischer, Public Artist, Writes in Support of "Greenwood Pond: Double Site"
On January 29, 2024, R.M. Fischer 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.
The same day I sat down to write this note, David Brooks wrote an inspiring opinion in the New York Times. I would recommend reading it.
I am writing to urge you and the DMAC Board of Directors to reconsider your decision to dismantle Mary Miss’ public sculpture, Greenwood Pond: Double Site, currently in the museum’s collection.
Mary Miss is one of the most important public environmental artists of her generation. We, as a country, appear to be abandoning culture and art in its many forms. Art that enriches and informs us is at risk because of politics and short term financial savings. This is an important time for an art museum like yours to stand up and be counted.
I respectfully encourage you and the board to engage in conversations with Mary Miss and others about how to restore the work and develop a long-term ongoing maintenance plan that is financially viable. Saving and protecting our cultural heritage, especially when it is under attack in a politically divisive moment, should be a top priority for our cultural institutions.
Thank you for your consideration.
R.M. Fischer, public artist
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