It drew about 150,000 people to see Loess Hills-inspired art in eight Iowa locations, from Moorhead, a town of 250 in the heart of the hills, to the State Historical Museum in Des Moines. In addition to the artists, the project involved scientists, poets, farmers, historians and musicians. Land of the Fragile Giants continues to live on in the hearts and minds of the people who love the hills and the art celebrating them. The Loess Hills were created thousands of years ago by wind-blown grains of quartz silt. Stretching across seven Iowa counties for 200 miles, the hills are home to many endangered species and plants and animals not common to the Midwest.
China is the only other place in the world with significant silt-formed hills.
The works of art are on loan from the artists and the collections of Iowa State's Brunnier Art Museum, Lynette and John Pohlman, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Moorhead Cultural Center in Moorhead. Fourteen works of art had to be shipped to Washington, D.C., from the countries of Cambodia and Swaziland, where they were on loan to the U.S. Embassy for the Art in Embassies Program. It contains permanent displays related to wildlife, land use and minerals. Admission is free. Visitors must present photo identification when entering the building.