SPECIAL EVENTS

FREE Membership Program: We have launched a FREE membership program to serve members of our community who would not otherwise be financially able to join the Art Center. Qualifying families will be able to participate in Art Center programming, workshops, and events all for FREE. We also purchased a 12 seat van to transport families/children who qualify for the program.

Iowa Artists 2008: Drawing (April 25 – August 1, 2008, Des Moines Art Center Downtown) The 58th installment of the Art Center’s annual “Iowa Artists” series focuses solely on the medium of drawing. The works in the exhibition will include traditional drawings and prints, but will also represent a broader definition of “drawing” in digital drawings; architectural, mechanical, engineering, and industrial drafting and rendering; charting and mapping; scientific and medical illustration; book illustration; fashion design; tattoo design; cartoons and comics; etc.
Preview party: Thursday, April 24, 6 – 8 pm, Des Moines Art Center Downtown, 9th and Walnut. Live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and cash bar available. Admission $5; FREE for members.

World Histories (May 16 – August 31, 2008; Art Center Anna K. Meredith Gallery) Our mid-year Anniversary exhibition features artists from around the world. Artists working today exemplify the term “global citizen,” often growing up in one region, being educated or working in another, and exhibiting at galleries, fairs, museums, and exhibitions in every country possible. World Histories presents approximately twelve artists whose work fits comfortably at the forefront of the international contemporary art scene and its continuing dialogue with aesthetics, formalism, and the influence of the artists that have come before. However, while participating in this globe-spanning conversation, each of these artists uses his or her work (and the “language” of contemporary art-making) to present a unique expression of their respective identities as individuals, defined by the specific place, time, and culture from which he or she emerged.
Preview party: Thursday, May 15, 2008, 6 – 8 pm, Live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar. Admission $5; members FREE.

Art Inside Out: Sunday, August 3, 2008. Our second annual Art Inside Out event celebrates all the Art Center has to offer with art activities, gallery and architecture tours, food and beverage vendors, live music, games on the lawn, live performances, and more.

Private Universe (August 29, 2008 – January 25, 2009; Downtown Art Center) Private Universe explores the work of artists who use a variety of media and construction methods to create new and often highly personal worlds. Combining works from the Art Center’s permanent collections and loans from private collections, this show will range from early 20th-century collage to mid-century box constructions to 21st-century photography.
Preview party: Thursday, August 28, 2008, 6 – 8 pm, Live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar. Admission $5; members FREE.

Yan Pei Ming: (September 19, 2008 – January 4, 2009; Art Center Anna K. Meredith Gallery) The final exhibition of our anniversary year presents the first one-person museum exhibition in the United States for the Chinese artist Yan Pei-Ming, who divides his time among studios in Shanghai as well as Paris and Dijon, France. Yan is considered one of the foremost Chinese artists working today, creating large, vibrant, expressionistic paintings and watercolors. His subject matter often includes self-portraits and portraits of family members or political figures, such as Mao and American presidents.
Preview party: Thursday, September 18, 2008, 6 – 8 pm, Live music, complimentary hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar. Admission $5; members FREE.

60th Anniversary Diamond Gala: The Art Center’s 60th Anniversary Diamond Gala! Save the date: Friday, September 26.

Day of the Dead: Sunday, November 2, 2008. This annual celebration, Día de los Muertos, follows the traditionally Latino event honoring family members and community leaders that have passed. The event features live theatrical performances, a Mariachi band, traditional refreshments such as pan de los muertos (dead bread), and art activities.

Winter Magic: Friday, December 5, 2008. The Art Center’s 48th annual holiday celebration will close our anniversary year with magicians, balloon twisters, live stage performances, wandering carolers, live music, art activities, refreshments, and a cash bar.