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In Iowa, plans to dismantle a 1996 land art installation by artist Mary Miss at the Des Moines Art Center have been halted, at least temporarily.The temporary restraining order was announced on April 8 and demolished the same day Greenwood Pond: Double Venue Booking begins. Mies ordered a halt to the demolition of the artwork, its architectural elements and ecological landscape after filing a lawsuit in federal court on April 4.
News of Mies’s work, which has been called the “first urban wetland project” in the United States, was first communicated to the artist in December 2023. and began demolishing several buildings to “consider future plans.”
Mies was surprised by how quickly the museum removed the piece from its verdant surroundings. Other museums, artists, architects and art enthusiasts subsequently wrote letters to Art Center Director Kelly Baum opposing the demolition. The Cultural Landscapes Foundation (TCLF) has also been spearheading efforts to save the installation; the foundation listed the effort in its 2014 National Landslide Report on Hazardous Landscapes.
Baum responded to the outcry in a statement detailing the arts center’s motivations for considering demolition of the massive installation, which included the natural deterioration of the wood and other materials, exposure to water and weather, the work’s sinkhole, and structural integrity sexual impairment and other factors.
“These materials have exceeded their service life by many years and have been eroded by the water in which they have been immersed, as well as by the harsh Iowa weather,” Baum said in a statement. “Ultimately, the overall work is outstanding. A large proportion currently require or will soon require major intervention and reasonable maintenance is no longer sufficient.
The federal lawsuit filed by Miss states that the museum’s actions violated terms outlined in a 1994 contract signed by the artist prior to its 1996 installation, including that the Des Moines Center for the Arts failed to protect the work from “the ravages of time and environment.” elements. It also violates the provisions of the Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990 regarding “destruction of a work of recognized status and any willful or grossly negligent destruction of that work.” According to VARA, Miss is seeking monetary compensation through litigation.
On April 8, U.S. District Court Judge Stephen Locher of the Southern District of Iowa issued a “temporary restraining order” blocking the demolition. Greenwood Pond: Double Venue. The judicial measure also plans to schedule a preliminary injunction for a future date, pending a final judgment in the case.
“I am pleased and relieved by Judge Loch’s decision, not least because it provides Greenwood Pond: Double Venue, but because it reaffirms the rights of all artists and the integrity of their heritage,” Miss said. “Let us use this opportunity to achieve an outcome that we can all be proud of.
Demolition of Miss Artwork at the Des Moines Art Center has been halted. A statement from the museum on April 8 said: “…our responsibility to public safety is paramount and we believe it is necessary for us to take action as required by our 1990 agreement with the City of Des Moines to correct what has become a hazardous environment. situation. However, we respect the court’s decision and we are suspending plans to remove the artwork from Greenwood Park and the portion declared hazardous and irrescuable will remain enclosed with protective fencing.
TCLF President and CEO Charles A. Birnbaum also issued a statement expecting a different outcome from this article. “We hope that the arts center’s leadership will use this pause as an opportunity to consult with the artists and develop a plan to restore the artworks in accordance with their contractual obligations,” Birnbaum said.
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