“Ignite the Night” lights East Village June 29

For Immediate Release June 21, 2005

Event celebrates State Historical Building public art restoration

(DES MOINES) – The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs will illuminate the East Village of Des Moines with color and drama next week when it turns on for the first time in 13 years the newly restored Plains Aurora light sculpture during “Ignite the Night.” The public unveiling and celebration of this important piece of public art will be from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Wednesday, June 29 on the southwest terrace of the State Historical Building.

The event will also launch the renovation of the Historical Building’s other major public art work. Iowa City artist Shirley Wyrick will preview plans to convert her Critical Juncture/Fluid Boundary—the fountain and alcoves on the southwest terrace—into Greenfall, a design using greenery to simulate a flowing waterfall.

“Ignite the Night” will feature entertainment by the East Village Four and hors d’ oeuvres and beverages will be served. Proceeds from the $50 per person event will benefit the Greenfall project. Reservations can be made to sarah.mckiness@iowa.gov or 515.281.6911.

“We’re very pleased to have this opportunity to bring the light sculpture back to life, and to make it an integral part of the East Village neighborhood again,” Department of Cultural Affairs Director Anita Walker said. “And we’re very excited to be moving forward with plans to convert the water fountain and alcoves into living pieces of outdoor art. Public art plays such a large role in our daily lives. It has far-reaching value that affects a very broad and diverse spectrum of people. It inspires and motivates; it consoles and comforts. It adds value to infrastructure projects, and it increases their value to the public and the community.”

When Governor Tom Vilsack in 2004 proclaimed Iowans should celebrate art, culture and recreation in Iowa, the DCA responded by meeting with Iowans across the state, gathering ideas and information, and producing programs that support the work of creative thinkers and doers in new ways. The effort is paying off as Iowans across the state are generating great ideas that will make Iowa a great place to live, work and play.

After reaching out to the entire state, however, DCA realized the State Historical Building—home of the Iowa Arts Council and the State Historical Society of Iowa—needed attention as well, specifically Plains Aurora and the water fountains and alcoves

“We realized these pieces of public art were suffering from neglect,” Walker said. “We decided we must set an example and we took action.”

Plains Aurora, created by internationally-acclaimed artist Cork Marcheschi of San Francisco, Calif. is a 32-foot glass block light sculpture built for the Historical Building when it opened in 1987. Originally created and constructed for about $100,000, Plains Aurora suffered from a number of design flaws—the glass blocks cracked; the bottom of the tower was built below the floor line; water and moisture collected inside; the structure lacked necessary bracing for vertical wind sheer; and it did not allow for proper ventilation. Intense summer heat—magnified by the glass blocks and exacerbated by the trapped moisture—caused the light supports to fail. As a result, the neon lights within the sculpture fell to the bottom and shattered. Citing safety concerns, DCA pulled the plug on the sculpture’s mesmerizing display of light and color.

“We made it a priority to identify the resources to repair the sculpture,” Walker said. “We have corrected its structural problems and are ready to have it shining from the Historical Building’s terrace once again.”

Marcheschi, who has a number of commissioned works across the U.S., Canada and Europe, was commissioned to create Plains Aurora by DCA and the Iowa Department of General Services. He has restored the sculpture’s original luminescence, albeit with an updated creative vision.

“We have replaced all the lighting elements and installed new lighting,” Marcheschi said. “We’re dealing more with saturation of light as opposed to patterns. It’ll be more about creating a contiguous experience of light where you’re dealing with the entire tower of light as it’s shifting and changing in its intensity and color.”

The light sculpture’s repair and restoration cost about $160,000 and are being paid with private dollars from the Herrick Trust, a private contribution that fueled the fundraising campaign for construction of the State Historical Building. The donors intended any remaining funds be used for State Historical Building projects.

“Now that we have addressed the problems with Plains Aurora, we’re turning our attention to the fountain and alcoves on the southwest corner of the building,” Walker said.

At the time they were built, the fountain and alcoves were not properly engineered—their operation threatened the integrity of the underground storage area that houses the state museum’s archives. For that reason, they have not functioned for several years.

Wyrick, who created the Critical Juncture/Fluid Boundary bronze relief that graces the front of the fountain, has proposed an alteration to the piece that will overcome the fountain’s design problems. The new design, Critical Juncture/Greenfall, will use greenery to suggest flowing water. The original bronze relief will remain intact and in place.

“Imagine what a delightful sight East Village residents and visitors will see when they look toward the State Historical Building and the Statehouse,” Walker said. “The State Historical Building is intended to be a gathering place for all Iowans—from our East Village neighborhood to the communities that border our state. DCA is responsible for developing interest in the arts, history and other cultural matters. To that end, we have committed resources to repair and restore Plains Aurora, and now we are seeking support for materials and talents that will allow us to create and maintain a terrace environment that is an inviting place to linger and enjoy the surrounding area.”

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