At the Des Moines Art Center, a sprawling land art installation by Mary Miss installed in 1996 will be dismantled. A settlement reached this week between the artist and art center that houses Greenwood Pond: Double Site decided its fate once and for all.Under the terms of the settlement agreement, the artist will receive $900,000 from the Des Moines Art Center, and the center will be permitted to go about its previous plans to dismantle the piece from its property. A joint statement from the artist and Des Moines Art Center stated: The settlement will end a breach of contract lawsuit filed by Miss on April 4, 2024, and allow the Des Moines Art Center to proceed with previously stated plans to remove the artwork in its entirety.Miss was notified of the artworks demolition in December 2023 after the art center had already begun installing fencing around the piece to make way for its removal. The Des Moines Art Center was prompted to destroy Greenwood Pond: Double Site because its wood and other building materials were deteriorating due to exposure to water and other environmental conditions.The piece conceived by Miss as a green city comprises a covered pavilion, a sunken seating area, wood trellis, bridge, and tiered terrace. The structural integrity of many of these components was at risk. In a statement, the Des Moines Art Center declared sections of the installation were dangerous and unsalvageable. On April 4, 2024, Miss filed a lawsuit against the Des Moines Art Center in federal court. She claimed the museums actions go against the terms outlined in the 1994 contract signed by the artist prior to its installation. The Des Moines Art Center had failed to protect the piece from the ravages of time and the elements, Miss said. As per Visual Artists Rights Act (VARA) of 1990RA, through the lawsuit Miss sought monetary damages.A judge subsequently ordered a temporary stop order on the dismantling of Greenwood Pond: Double Site, a ruling which went into effect on April 8, 2024. In the months after, the public was made aware of the potential loss of the artwork. Other museums, artists, architects, and art enthusiasts then wrote to the Des Moines Art Center making clear their dissatisfaction with the decision to demolish the structure. The Cultural Landscape Foundation (TCLF), which had previously named the work on its Landslide list of at-risk landscapes, was also integral in leading the charge to save the installation.Following the recent settlement, Miss said in a statement: I hope the resurrection and reconsideration of this project will lead to further reflections on the relationships between artists, environmental issues, communities and our public cultural institutions. I trust this experience can help to develop stronger bonds moving forward.