Public Art

How is the outdoor sculpture gallery Art On Poverty Bay funded?

The City has a Mayor appointed Arts Commission with 9 members that represent the citizens of Des Moines and make recommendations to City Council related to cultural and arts activities. The Arts Commission recently implemented an outdoor sculpture project Art on Poverty Bay in the Marina District.

Artists submit their works to be juried (reviewed and selected) by a committee made up of artists, project sponsors, and citizens. The selected sculptures are then rented from the artists for a period of one year. The sculptures are for sale and after being on display for a year they are either sold or returned to the artist.

In June 2014 the outdoor sculpture garden expanded to include two new sculptures to be installed along S. 216th Street near 20th Avenue South as part of the Gateway road construction project and additional sculptures to be installed along the Marina promenade and in Redondo. For more information about Art on Poverty Bay go to http://www.desmoinesartscommission.com/sculpture-project.html.