DES MOINES

Trail to highlight hidden downtown D.M. art gems

Timothy Meinch

tmeinch@dmreg.com

There are nearly 90 pieces of public art in downtown Des Moines, but good luck finding them all without a road map.

This summer, a 6.6-mile art trail will stretch from the state Capitol grounds to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The path, known as ART RTE, will be painted along downtown sidewalks, leading to 87 pieces of artwork.

That's where the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation can help.

This summer, the nonprofit group will create a 6.6-mile art trail stretching from the state Capitol grounds to the Pappajohn Sculpture Park. The path, known as ART RTE, will be painted along downtown sidewalks, leading to 87 pieces of artwork.

The new path, marked by colored circles about 20 feet apart, will bring those pieces out of the shadows. “Everyone can find the Pappajohn Scultpture Park and maybe the American Enterprise art park (on Fifth Street),” said Jessica Rowe, director of the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation. “But other works are more integrated in the city, maybe in pocket parks or items inside a building, like the lobby of Principal Financial.”

Organizers have raised the $210,000 needed for the project. On Monday, they received an initial blessing from the Des Moines City Council.

"Untitled" by Joel Shapiro, located outside Des Moines City Hall, is one of 87 public art pieces that will be connected via an art path in the downtown area.

According to the Public Art Foundation, about 750,000 people visit Des Moines each year specifically for arts and cultural attractions. But the group's surveys reveal that many of those visitors say it's difficult to find artwork in the capital city.

"We have research that backs up they can't necessarily find that public art in downtown," said Tiffany Tauscheck, chief communications officer with the Greater Des Moines Partnership.

Tauscheck helped develop the art trail concept, which has been in the planning stages for a couple of years. It was largely inspired by the Boston Freedom Trail, which highlights important historical landmarks throughout Massachusetts' capital city.

The trail is also a low-tech version of the DSM Public Art smartphone app the group launched a couple of years ago. The app uses GPS coordinates to identify art near the user and provide details about the piece, links to the artist's website and other content.

Besides promoting the local art scene, backers of the art trail say it will support downtown's walkability — a buzzword among city planners set on getting more people out of cars and walking city sidewalks.

The group has identified six intersections where crosswalks will be repainted with artistic designs. Initial proposals show animated pedestrians in colorful shirts, and velvet rope lines with metal posts. Most of the crosswalk paintings will be done by Canadian street artist Peter Gibson.

Art Rte would paint artistic crosswalks at six key intersections to connect a 6.6 mile art path in downtown Des Moines. Street artist Peter Gibson has proposed several designs with initial renderings.

“Essentially, the project aims to energize the downtown core while encouraging healthier living by walking and also exploring public amenities like public art,” Tauscheck said.

The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation wants to have the art trail in place before the three-day Des Moines Arts Festival, which begins June 24.

The festival typically draws 200,000 to 250,000 people downtown to view artwork from nationally known artists.

Stephen King, executive director of the Des Moines Arts Festival, described the art trail as an immediate win for the festival but a greater long-term addition for the region.

“It’s going to be a real positive step forward, if nothing else connecting the people of central Iowa with a collection that is pretty phenomenal,” he said. “I think it’s just going to put Des Moines on a whole new level.”