On the cover: “The Black Crown of Perpetual Loss,” a cast bronze sculpture by Des Moines artist Larassa Kabel, installed on the lawn of Plymouth Place at 42nd Street and Ingersoll Avenue and commissioned by The Avenues. The two-headed stag is meant to represent how love (the head with the erect ears) and grief (the head with the ears tipped) are intertwined.
“Love is an essential and mysterious force in our lives, but our culture ignores the reality that grief is the price of love,” Kabel told the Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation. “The truth is that love, like everything else, will eventually end. We are so afraid of the pain of loss that we pretend it will never happen. I think this is a huge mistake. By acknowledging the temporary nature of our relationships, we are more likely to appreciate what we have while we have it.”
Photographer: Cortney Kintzer.
Read the entire Sep/Oct issue here.
