Renowned Artist, Mac Hornecker to Dedicate Outdoor Sculpture: “Prairie Emergence”

AUGUST 22, 2006 - (Clive, IA) Artist and former Iowan Mac Hornecker will be part of a dedication and celebration around one of his most recent works of public art: “Prairie Emergence. ” The major outdoor sculpture at the Country Club Marketplace in Clive will be dedicated on Tuesday, August 22 at 5:15 PM (following the Peoples Trust & Savings Bank ribbon cutting at 5 PM in the same area.) The 20.5’ x 12’ x 16’ sculpture is made of fabricated of steel and ferro-concrete. Mac created the sculpture specifically for the Country Club Marketplace located at the NE corner of University Avenue and 128 th Street . “Prairie Emergence” is a cooperative public art project with The City of Clive, Ryan Companies, US, Inc. and Olson-Larsen Galleries in West Des Moines.

Hornecker has created several other substantial sculptures for businesses in the Des Moines area, most recently for The Mid-America Group at the Northpark Office Park in Urbandale. He also has a major indoor installation in the lobby of the EMC Insurance Companies’ headquarters in downtown Des Moines as well as in the lobby of Farm Bureau Financial Services’ corporate office in West Des Moines.

“While most will see this sculpture as a wonderful example of public art, those involved in the process see more,” Doug Dieck, of Ryan Companies said. “This is an example of what can happen when community and development leaders work beyond traditional agreements and share a vision for creating something really special.”

“It’s an honor to have a sculpture created by Mac Hornecker,” said Clive Mayor Les Aasheim. “As we encourage, promote and ‘regulate’ development, it is important for us to also pay attention to aesthetics and to the legacy that public art creates. We couldn’t do it alone, and appreciate the investment that Ryan Companies made and the coordination of it all by Olson-Larsen Galleries.”

ARTIST BACKGROUND: Hornecker taught art at Buena Vista University in Storm Lake, Iowa from 1971 to 2001 and has since retired to Arkadelphia, Arkansas. Born in Missouri, Hornecker attended Joplin Junior College before taking his BFA at the Kansas City Art Institute & School of Design. Then he completed his MFA at the University of Oklahoma. Annually, since 1972, Hornecker’s vita lists multiple exhibitions, awards, and commissions. The permanent private and public collections holding his works number above 30; and he is represented by galleries in Chicago, Omaha, Kansas City, and Springfield, in addition to Olson-Larsen Galleries. Selected works of Mac Hornecker are also on file with General Services, in Washington D.C. and in the publication of the National Endowment for the Arts’ National Community Arts program.

DEVELOPMENT DESCRIPTION:

Country Club Marketplace is a Ryan Companies project in Clive that provides 38,700 SF of new retail space. The new development is located at the NE corner of University Avenue and 128th Street between the Clive water tower and Walgreen's. Tenants include Caribou Coffee, Z'Mariks, Noodle Café, Carrier Access, Massage Envy, and Peoples Trust & Savings Bank.

PROJECT CONTACTS:

Doug Dieck, Ryan Companies US, Inc.
(515) 309-8510 office
(515) 360-3624 cell
doug.dieck@ryancompanies.com

Marlene Olson, Olson-Larsen Galleries
(515) 277-6734
info@olsonlarsen.com

Les Aasheim, Mayor, City of Clive
( 515) 223-6220 office
(515) 314-5163 mobile
laasheim@cityofclive.com