For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org

DES MOINES, IA (April 2023) – As part of the Des Moines Art Center’s 75th anniversary year, a new collections catalog showcasing the works of art installed in the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park has been published.

Dedicated to the memory of Mary Pappajohn, the 144-page catalog features multiple color images of 32 sculptures by 26 internationally acclaimed artists, as well as essays by ten writers from around the country. The cover features Olafur Eliasson’s 2013 panoramic awareness pavilion which spans the front and back cover.

“After 13 years, this park has transformed the cultural and economic landscape of the city of Des Moines and has become one of the most significant sculpture parks in the country,” reflects Jeff Fleming, John and Mary Pappajohn Director.

Designed by Connie Wilson and edited by Lea Rosson DeLong, the book features photography by Cameron Campbell with select photos by Rich Sanders, Jim Zeller, and others. A special feature of the book is a fold-out, aerial view of the park by Nathan Scott Photography.

Funds to produce the book were provided by honorary trustee, Mike Simonson. The book is currently available in the Museum Shop at the Art Center and online.

For additional information, contact Director of External Affairs Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.

About the Des Moines Art Center + John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park

Recognized by international art critics as a world-class museum in the heart of the Midwest, the Des Moines Art Center, an AAM-accredited institution, has amassed an important collection of art from the 19th century to the present, with a major emphasis on contemporary art. Focused on quality and global in scope, it includes major works by Henry Ossawa Tanner, Edward Hopper, Georgia O’Keeffe, Francis Bacon, Andy Goldsworthy, Henri Matisse, Wangechi Mutu, Ai Wei Wei, and Kara Walker, among hundreds of others. The collection is housed in three major buildings, each designed by a renowned architect—Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. General admission to the museum is always free for all.

In September 2009, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park opened in Des Moines’ Western Gateway Park. Philanthropists John and Mary Pappajohn provided funding for and donated 31 sculptures by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists to the Des Moines Art Center. The collection of sculptures by such artists as Martin Puryear, Louise Bourgeois, Deborah Butterfield, Willem de Kooning, Mark di Suvero, Olafur Eliasson, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Ellsworth Kelly, Yayoi Kusama, Jaume Plensa, Richard Serra, and Joel Shapiro is the most significant donation of artwork to the Art Center in a single gift in the museum’s history. The Pappajohn Sculpture Park is a collaboration of the Pappajohns, the City of Des Moines, the Des Moines Art Center, and numerous corporate and private donors.

# # #