In the seven years since the Pappajohn Sculpture Park was built in downtown Des Moines, the surrounding area has spiffed up in remarkable ways. Trendy restaurants replaced run-down auto shops. Shiny corporate offices lined up shoulder to shoulder. Just last weekend, the area hosted the Des Moines Arts Festival and more than 200,000 visitors.
It’s a great example of creative development, right?
Right. But what if your city doesn’t have the same resources? What if nobody in town has a $40 million of sculpture just lying around?