The Des Moines Register from Des Moines, Iowa • Page 73

Edition Des Moines Sunday Register Page2PJ Sunday, September 20, 2009 The Vision Sculpture park Online DesMoinesRegister Go to our Pappajohn Sculpture Park page and get to know Des Moines' new outdoor museum through a wealth of photos, stories, podcasts and more. Print a map to go Download and print a handy map to take with you to the park. ives city new heart mm Mill mill mmmmmrwmmBVfl i bbm f- Get walking tours for your phone or iPod Learn more about the sculptures and the artists who created them through our audio walking tours. Register arts reporter Michael Morain, benefactors John and Mary Pappajohn and some of the sculptors reveal colorful details about the artwork in their own words. Download our Pappajohn Sculpture Park podcast, with more than 40 tracks, free on iTunes.

K-iinirimHiiiiMi nimiii mmuhim i ii wnialMaoimli fTTiii TOirnin mil i nnum Hi A couple of options: Download one concise tour and start at the northeast corner of the park (near the comical Moonrise faces). Download single tracks on your favorite sculptures for more detail. More online features: See 360-degree panoramas from key points in the park (inside Nomade, beneath T8 and more) Watch videos of the park's construction (with details about moving a bunny) Share your own photos of the park Check out other sculpture parks Follow reporter Michael Morain's Arts in Iowa blog Learn more about the history of the Des Moines Art Center Find stories about the sculpture park's opening, plus other news about arts and culture RODNEY WHITETHE REGISTER jaume Kiensa tnree-story Nomaae anchors tne park soutn siae. it maae irom letters cut rrom steei ana paintea witn wnne enamei, "When John Pappajohn calls you on the phone and says, 'I have an idea you know it's something big." Jaff Flaming, Art Cantar diractor By MICHAEL MORAIN mmoraindmreg.com i i is II I i i BRIGHT NEW LIGHT on the world's cultural radar will appear next weekend when the Pappajohn Sculpture Park opens in downtown Des Moines. The two dozen sculptures that John and Mary Pappajohn gave to the Des Moines Art Center were recently appraised at about $40 million, which is thought to be the largest public gift in Iowa history.

The venture capitalist and his wife contacted the museum about their idea in early 2007. "When John Pappajohn calls you on the phone and says, 'I have an you know it's something big," Art Center director Jeff Fleming said. But nobody predicted exactly how big. The couple's original gift of 16 major sculptures quickly grew and the Pappajohns have hinted at plans for more. The project, which is one of the most accessible major-league art parks in rt! I li IP hJ I'd Jt.3 -II 1 1 I- i About the park The opening ceremony The Pappajohn Sculpture Park officially opens to the public with a party from 1-3 p.m.

Sept. 27. Plans for the event include: 1 p.m., Isiserettes performance. 1:15 p.m., a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by remarks from leaders who helped make the park a reality: Des Moines mayor Frank Cownie, City Councilwoman Christine Hensley, project fundraiser Steve Zumbach, Des Moines Art Center director Jeff Fleming and principal benefactors, John and Mary Pappajohn. Ballet Des Moines performance.

Music by the Scott Davis Quartet. Self-guided tours, with insights from docents who will be posted throughout the park to discuss the sculptures and answer questions. And complimentary refreshments. The entire event is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Des Moines Art Center at (515) 277-4405 or visit its Web site at desmoinesartcenter.org.

Ganaral hours for the park: 6 a.m.-midnight daily i the country, changes the look of a two-block area between Grand Avenue and Locust Street in the Western Gateway. Many hope it will alter the city's cultural, social and economic landscapes as well. Fleming sees the green space as downtown's "heart and soul" and "the place where the city of Des Moines will breathe." Many of downtown's 75,000 workers have watched the sculpture garden grow as RODNEY WHITETHE REGISTER In the Morning, by the British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro, stands near Grand Avenue. works by blue-chip artists such as Willem de Kooning, Louise Bourgeois and Richard Serra have arrived from their previous location at the Pappajohns' South-of-Grand home. Other works, including Jaume Plensa's three-story Nomade and Deborah Butterfield's newly commissioned horse, were purchased specifically for the park.

To put them in wider context, these sculptors are to the art world what Oprah Winfrey is to talk shows and Tiger Woods is to the PGA. "To be perfectly honest, I didn't realize the full impact of the project until? I learned more about the sculptures," said City Councilwoman Christine Hensley, whose ward includes downtown. She arid several other city leaders toured the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden and two more on Washington's National Mall to see comparable works of art. PARK, PAGE 3 'j 1 i IV." 'I till! Staff info WRITER: Michael Morain PHOTOGRAPHER: Rodney White EDITORS: Ellen Modersohn, Vickie Ashwill ONLINE EDITOR: Kyle Munson COPY EDITOR: Joe Hawkins COVER DESIGN: Mark Marturello PARK MAP DESIGN: Craig Johnson SECTION DESIGN: Arnie Brown REGISTER FILE PHOTO John and Mary Pappajohn, left and right, unveiled design plans for the sculpture park during a gala hosted by Bravo Greater Des Moines in January 2008. Former Lt.

Governor Sally Pederson, center, presented them with the cultural group's Bravo Award..