The Art Center offers free educational resources for families, individuals, and educators. Explore artist talks, gallery guides, hands-on activities, and more.
It’s finally spring and there is a lot of activity at the Art Center in anticipation of warmer, sunnier days. I am looking forward to many exciting events. These include a lecture with the scholar and newly...
Download
Welcome to a new year and a new beginning for the Des Moines Art Center. In addition to an array of stimulating exhibitions and programs planned for the year, the Art Center will inaugurate a new...
Download
The Art Center continues to work with community partners to be proximate with new audiences. Several recent examples exemplify these efforts. The Des Moines Symphony has commissioned the composer Steven Heitzeg to create Symphony in Sculpture III, the third...
Download
It is hard to believe it’s been ten years since the Art Center and the City of Des Moines opened the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park in the Western Gateway. Since its opening, we have...
Download
Since its founding, the Des Moines Art Center has acquired artworks by many African-American artists to ensure an inclusive and diverse permanent collection. For example, the Art Center’s forerunner, the Des Moines Association of Fine...
Download
There is perhaps no better time to announce new commitments and resolutions than the beginning of a new year. Thus, I am thrilled to announce the Art Center’s new positioning statement — the why we do what...
Download
As Director of Education at the Art Center, I’m delighted Director Jeff Fleming invited me to contribute the opening remarks for this newsletter. The message I’m sharing brings to mind this passage by the celebrated children’s author Philip Pullman, “We...
Download
Since beginning my service as director of the Art Center, I have taken on a major curatorial project about every other year. But this year is an unusual one for me. In 2018, I am organizing two...
Download
An art museum is a unique institution in any community, providing a distinct venue where numerous audiences may interact, using art objects as the common denominator. Often, the most rewarding of these interactions involve collaborations with other...
Download
In late September, The Links, Incorporated, a not-for-profit corporation of African-American women leaders, held their 60th anniversary celebration at the Art Center. The evening also showcased the many works by African-American artists in our permanent collections....
Download