Anima Moon is a proposed permanent public artwork by Joel Kuennen, designed for Pettibone Park on the Mississippi River, directly across from Riverside Park downtown La Crosse. The sculpture will reflect moonlight onto the river and track the Moon as it moves across the night sky, creating a quiet, shared civic presence visible from both sides of the river.
Support This Project
Your tax-deductible donation helps bring this work to life and supports the design, fabrication, and installation of a permanent public artwork created specifically for La Crosse, WI. Pump House Regional Arts Center is pleased to be the fiscal sponsor of Anima Moon by Joel Kuennen.
Anima Moon is a site-responsive public sculpture that reflects moonlight back onto the Mississippi River, re-centering attention on natural cycles that shape both the landscape and human life. Installed near the river’s edge, the work follows the Moon’s movement across the sky, creating a subtle and changing interaction between light, water, and time.
The sculpture consists of a parabolic form inlaid with polished mother-of-pearl panels, mounted on a motorized base programmed to track the Moon. Rather than functioning as a monument or spectacle, the work is designed as a steady, recurring presence—something encountered over time through walking, biking, gathering, or quiet observation.
Anima Moon was developed in consultation with the City of La Crosse Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department. Materials and construction methods were selected for durability, environmental consideration, and long-term stewardship.
At its core, the project invites reflection rather than instruction. It offers a shared experience that connects the river, the night sky, and the people who live alongside them—an artwork meant to be returned to again and again.