Picture these 24 sculptures once displayed in the Pappajohns' own yard, where people drove by just to look, ahead of this park's 2009 opening. This park opened in 2009 with 24 sculptures—the original gift from local venture capitalist John Pappajohn and his wife Mary Louise Pappajohn (1933-2022)—later augmented by four more. Those initial works were once part of the Pappajohns' private collection, displayed in their yard where people drove by to look at the art.
Valued at about $40 million, the donation was given to the city and the park is administered by the Des Moines Art Center. You can see pieces by Louise Bourgeois, Jaume Plensa, Ai Weiwei, and Barry Flanagan among what is called "one of the most significant collections of outdoor sculptures in the United States. Two New York architects, Diana Agrest and Mario Gandelsonas, shaped this landscape, arranging grassy mounds and parabolic-shaped cutaways to set each work in relief.
Look for works by Louise Bourgeois, Jaume Plensa, Ai Weiwei, and Barry Flanagan scattered across the grassy mounds and parabolic cutaways that architects Diana Agrest and Mario Gandelsonas shaped to set each piece in relief.