Des Moines Artist's New Sculpture Blooms At West Glen Town Center

DES MOINES, IA — A new sculpture installed in West Des Moines recently is the latest local project by an artist with a number of popular public art works in the metro area. The sculpture "Bloom" was designed by artist James Ellwanger.

Ellwanger, who now is focusing his work in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas areas, told Patch the colorful piece he sculpted as a centerpiece at West Glen Town Center is representative of the tropical bird-of-paradise flower.

Jennifer Howell, property manager for West Glen, said that it blends perfectly with the development and its history.

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"The bird-of-paradise signifies optimism for the future. We thought that was significant for West Glen, and the place we're in now," she told Patch.

West Glen opened in 2005 but was sold in 2012 to MRES West Glen Holdings and is managed by Omne Partners of Omaha. "When we purchased the center, commercial occupancy was hovering around 70 percent; we are in the mid-90's now," she told Patch.

Howell said Ellwanger had free rein to design the project, which is a focal point for visitors coming to West Glen. It is located inside the main entrance at Mills Civic Parkway and South Prairie View Drive.

"We wanted it to be something that was eye catching as people drove onto the property," she said, "something that would bring guests into the center."

The sculpture is comprised of high polished steel and half-inch-thick glass/plexiglass resin panels of varying colors. It weighs 5,000 pounds and stands 11 feet high.

Ellwanger has created a number of large sculptures that complement the Des Moines landscape. One of his more recent projects was "Liberty Crown," a copper and steel replica of the Statue of Liberty's crown, commissioned by and installed in 2012 above Exile Brewing Co. at 1514 Walnut St.

Another piece, the limestone and steel sculpture "Shattering Slilence," was installed in 2009 adjacent to the Iowa Supreme Court building, East 12th Street and Court Avenue in Des Moines. It commemorates the 170th anniversary of the landmark 1839 Iowa Territorial Supreme Court ruling that prohibited slave Ralph Montgomery from being extradited back to Missouri after he failed to raise the $550 he promised to pay to buy his freedom, according to the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation.

Ellwanger said it was his first public art project in Des Moines — a stylized baseball sculpture that sits outside the main entrance at Principal Park — that may be the most well known. "The Seam" was completed in 2000 and was a gift to the ballpark and community from the family of Ken Grandquist, former owner of the Iowa Cubs, in his memory.

To see "Bloom" being installed, check out this time-lapse video from West Glen Town Center.

Main Photo: The James Ellwanger sculpture "Bloom" is located at West Glen Town Center in West Des Moines./Melissa Myers, Patch