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 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 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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