Third Art Project At West Glen Town Center Begins This Week; Unveiling Party Planned For Oct. 24

DES MOINES, IA — A new sculpture installed at West Glen Town Center within the past month is the second public art project in the development — and a third piece is slated to follow by next week. A local artist will begin the property's second interactive mural on Friday.

"Part of our focus the last two years has been to implement public art here at West Glen and to be the hub of public art. There's not a lot of it in West Des Moines," Jennifer Howell, West Glen property manager, told Patch.

The first work, "Figure 5.1," is a mural between Hurts Donuts and WineStyles in a walkway dubbed the Avenue of the Arts. It was created by Brett Budzinski of Des Moines. The new mural will be located between Shotgun Betty's and Worn. Howell said it will be an interactive piece that lends itself to photography.

She said the artists chosen to create the murals and sculpture at West Glen have been given free rein to design something that fits into the property's landscape and mission.

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For this mural we told her we want it to be interactive, but the design is completely up to her," Howell said. "The same thing with the sculpture: We wanted it to be something that was eye catching as people drove onto the property, something that would bring guests into the center."

The sculpture, by Des Moines artist James Ellwanger, 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 told Patch he designed the sculpture, titled "Bloom," to be representative of the tropical bird-of-paradise flower.

Howell said that blended perfectly with the development. "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. Omne Partners of Omaha is the management partner. Howell said momentum has picked up in the development since it was purchased by the group.

"When we purchased the center, commercial occupancy was hovering around 70 percent; we are in the mid-90's now," she said.

She said a recent rebranding, which included the focus on art, also will bring new signage to the property, including the monument sign at the entrance at Mills Civic Parkway and South Prairie View Drive. In addition, the Town Center East building, which has a Tuscan design, is being repainted this month to change the facade in conjunction with the rebranding.

Two pad sites remain undeveloped at West Glen, in addition to the few vacant bays at existing buildings. Howell said one new business, Mint Piercing, is working on a storefront it plans to open there.

Unveiling Party

West Glen management will host an unveiling party for its third public art project from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 24 at Shotgun Betty's, 5535 Mills Civic Parkway. Free pizza, wine, beer and soda will be available, Howell said.

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