For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
DES MOINES, IOWA (December 2024) – The Des Moines Art Center is excited to announce the reopening of its I. M. Pei building, named for Florence Cowles Kruidenier, after a transformative upgrade of its original lighting system and the complete reinstallation of its galleries, including the Cowles Sculpture Court. The renovation makes for especially illuminating experiences, as visitors explore this extraordinary building, which opened to the public in 1968 and has been recognized by the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural significance. The new lighting system matches Pei’s original 1968 designs but includes much more sophisticated, flexible, and energy efficient features. This system offers many benefits, including enhanced visitor experience, more dramatic and focused illumination of the Art Center’s collections, and improved energy efficiency and environmental sustainability.
The project called for more than 8,500 square feet of gallery space to be completely reinstalled with a new presentation of works from the museum’s permanent collections. Designed primarily to showcase sculpture, the I. M. Pei building, with its monumental windows that open out to both the sky and the Clare and Miles Mills Rose Garden, is a particularly impressive architectural feat. Associate Curator Beth Gollnick, along with Senior Curator Laura Burkhalter, have reimagined both levels of this iconic building, featuring long-time favorites such as Roy Lichtenstein’s “The Great Pyramid” and El Anatsui’s “Basin”. Additionally, “Interlagos” by Frank Stella, last seen in 2005, and “Untitled” by David Novros, which has not been shown for more than 25 years, will be highlighted alongside recent accessions like Yinka Shonibare’s billowy sculpture “Abstract Bronze” which debuted in late 2024.
The Art Center credits its local partners at RDG Planning & Design, especially David Raver, for their innovative use of modern technology and design expertise in the installation of this state-of-the-art system that features Bluetooth capability, flexible and adaptive design schemes, museum quality fixtures, and protective light filtering features. To realize this renovation, the Art Center also worked closely with collaborators at Estes Construction and Tri-City Electric.
Improvements to the I. M. Pei building were made possible by Bravo Greater Des Moines, the Frankenthaler Climate Initiative of the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation, and supporters of the Art Center’s 75th Anniversary Capital Campaign. The Pei lighting upgrades come at the end of a year-long suite of renovations across the museum’s facilities. Completed projects include the widening and grade reduction of the accessibility ramp in the Eliel Saarinen building; new flooring and lighting upgrades in the A. H. Blank and Kyle and Sharon Krause Galleries, also in the Eliel Saarinen building; refinished flooring, stairs, and all new paint in the Richard Meier building; and newly poured concrete at major entrances to the museum galleries as well as the art school.
Visitors are invited to experience the newly re-opened I. M. Pei galleries during museum hours: 10 am to 4 pm on Tuesdays and Wednesdays; 10 am to 7 pm on Thursdays and Fridays; and 10 am to 5 pm on Saturdays and Sundays. The museum is closed on Mondays. Admission to museum galleries is always free.
For additional information, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.
About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited (American Association of Museums) institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. Its historic campus consists of three buildings designed by major architects of the 20th century—Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier—incorporated into the natural landscape of Greenwood Park. The Art Center is home to one of the strongest collections of 20th- and 21st-century art in the region, and it hosts a series of ground-breaking exhibitions and lectures each year featuring artists known regionally, nationally, and internationally. The experimental art for which the Art Center cares is reflected in its creative offerings, including a celebrated education program that prioritizes access and collaboration, an art school with studio classes for all ages, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, situated on 4.4 acres in downtown Des Moines. The Art Center is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are incorporated into every facet of its mission and identity.
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