The Art Center offers free educational resources for families, individuals, and educators. Explore artist talks, gallery guides, hands-on activities, and more.
The past called—it wants to be in our photo album. You are invited to share personal or found 1970s – 1980s snapshots for the online Community Photo Album. We welcome everyday moments, family scenes, and...
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Recorded on October 26, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center, this panel discussion: “Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Collaborations” features Aurelia Álvarez Urbajtel (Director of the Manuel Álvarez Bravo Foundation in Mexico City), Aliza Nisenbaum (2024-25...
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Presented in recognition of LGBTQ+ History Month, Ben Millett, the Des Moines Art Center’s 2025 Iowa Artist (exhibition dates July 26 – November 2, 2025), delivered a public lecture on October 16, 2025. In this...
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Jeffrey Gibson delivered the 35th installment of the Fingerman Lecture series at the Des Moines Art Center on September 25, 2025. Gibson is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and convener celebrated for his painting, installation, video,...
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I love learning. I was reminded how much I love to learn, and how important learning is to my personal and professional well-being, this summer, when I attended the executive education course Strategic Perspectives in...
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Recorded on August 24, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center. The Des Moines Art Center celebrated 25 years of the Community Access Program with an original dance performance titled “Threads” by the Swan Project...
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Recorded on July 16, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center. This lecture features internationally recognized scholar, curator, and critic Tiffany E. Barber discussing the origins and aesthetics of Afrofuturism in relation to artist Firelei...
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Recorded on June 13, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center. This lecture features a conversation between artist Firelei Báez and John and Mary Pappajohn Director and CEO Kelly Baum in celebration of Báez’s solo,...
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Over the span of 36 hours at the very end of April and beginning of May, I attended two inspiring lectures, both of which deepened my belief in the power and necessity of art museums....
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Recorded on April 26, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center—Symposium: Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art and Culture “The History of Haitian Art at the Waterloo Center for the Arts” by Chawne Paige, Executive Director...
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