Lucy Lippard, Writer, Art Critic, Activist, and Curator, Writes in Support of "Greenwood Pond: Double Site"
On January 31, 2024, Lucy Lippard 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 Centerās 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 āreasonably protect and maintainā the work. ¹ū¶³“«Ć½ (¹ū¶³“«Ć½) 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'm writing in hope that there is some way to save Mary Miss' Greenwood Pond now scheduled for demolition. It would be a huge loss to the environmental/land art communities and the general public. From this distance it seems that regular maintenance might have done the job but now that this decision has been made, I urge you to reconsider. Perhaps a nationwide fundraising drive? I have watched Mary from the very beginning become an extraordinary artist whose work must be not only admired but preserved.
Sincerely,
Lucy R. Lippard
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