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Save Greenwood Pond: Double Site!

The Des Moines Art Center's decision to demolish the iconic Greenwood Pond: Double Site has a lot of general themes I have come to detest about modern America:

  • The cycle of fundraising to build new, followed by deterioration and demolition before starting the cycle all over; 
  • Ludicrous cost estimates for seemingly simple projects; 
  • Lack of faith that the community will step up to support when needed; 
  • And the lack of imagination or drive to break out of the cycle above; 

But I hope that saving Greenwood Pond: Double Site can be an opportunity to create a new level of community engagement with a living piece of artwork. 

I'm very familiar with the Des Moines Art Center. As you can see, First-Grade-Me (what an angel!) was certified as being a "Master of Dinosaurs" after a summer program in 1990. Since growing up, I've taken my kids to visit, to classes, and to Greenwood Park. 

I always thought the boardwalk around Greenwood Pond was a really engaging design, but didn't realize until recently that it was a cohesive piece by Mary Miss called Greenwood Pond: Double Site. I just liked being around it. 

Double Site has been repaired in the past -- most recently in 2015. When fences went up last fall, I assumed it was being repaired again. Instead, it is being demolished -- err, sorry, "deinstalled" -- against the wishes of the Mary Miss and the community. 

Now, running RAYGUN means I'm very familiar with the space where money and creativity meet. We have no big investors and no private equity cash, so to say I have had to take budgeting seriously would be an understatement. 

But when the Art Center says that the total cost for repair and continued maintenance would exceed $8 million, my first thought was, "Are you f*cking kidding me?!"

Here is a quick list of what $8 million can get you in Des Moines: 

Spoiler alert: the Art Center won't make the engineering reports or cost estimates public. 

It seems like nothing can happen without millions of dollars. But then I know that RAYGUN has happened with a fraction of that. I know so many artists and creators and small business owners who do so much with so little -- even the city of Des Moines stepped up years ago to save the "Rocket Slide" when it seemed to face near certain demolition. 

The gap between grassroots creators and giant institutions has grown wider and wider over the years and becomes this frustrating spiral: 

  • Big institutions may go for big name national works whose price is driven up by national demand and acclaim;
  • To afford national works, they go after big name local donors with national-levels of money;
  • As the "base" of the institution becomes a small set of wealthy donors, it can lose connection to the majority of community members;
  • Attendance may lag while costs go up; 
  • Then a big institutions' answer to falling community engagement may be for even bigger, expensive national projects;

From the standpoint of a creator and business owner, I know the frustration when you feel like you put yourself out there and the community doesn't respond. 

I also know that big institutions are pulled in lots of different directions and since 2020 -- changes in how people live may cause attendance to flag even if effort is made to get them to turn out.  

But changes since 2020 may make every opportunity to include the public even more critical. The communities RAYGUN inhabits are the only thing that keeps this place alive, so it is impossible to just write off the local population!

We have to constantly interact with the world around us through trial and error. In the process, the bond between ourselves and the community will grow stronger. 

I see this Greenwood Pond project as a huge opportunity for the Art Center to flip the script on the past American cycle: 

  • Include Mary in any adjustments that need to be made -- repair first, but replace or remove what is necessary;
  • Find a general contractor who will look at the project; 
  • Put out a call for volunteers to help repair Double Site (if Habitat for Humanity can build houses, why can't we repair some art?); 
  • See if we can get members of the community to show up and physically participate in the restoration; 
  • Volunteers would bring cost down;
  • It would also dramatically boost community engagement
  • It would save a piece of artwork;
  • And it would inject new life an energy into the Art Center that it could use to fundraise! 

If the Art Center puts out a call for help and no one responds, then the community gets what it deserves!

But the time may be right for a change. 

Breaking any cycle is hard. It takes hard work, creativity, and vision. But you'd think if any place in our city had creativity and vision, it would be an Art Center! 

Shirt sales are raising awareness and financially benefitting the effort to save Greenwood Pond: Double Site.