A nationally known outdoor artwork will be removed from a park pond in Des Moines under a settlement announced Tuesday, ending a legal fight between the New York artist who created the work decades ago and a local art center that argued it couldn’t afford needed repairs to the site.
Under the agreement, the Des Moines Art Center will pay $900,000 to artist Mary Miss, who will end her effort to block removal of her work, Greenwood Pond: Double Site. The art center will remove the work as soon as possible, though efforts could be delayed by Iowa's cold, winter weather.
