Video
Amy N. Worthen Lecture
Recorded on June 1, 2025 at the Des Moines Art Center. This lecture was led by Amy N. Worthen, Curator of Prints and Drawings, Emerita, Des Moines Art Center. The talk was inspired by the...
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The Art Center offers free educational resources for families, individuals, and educators. Explore artist talks, gallery guides, hands-on activities, and more.
Exhibitions
Video
Samantha Box in Conversation with Luke Williams
Recorded on December 15, 2024 at the Des Moines Art Center. Luke Williams is a scholar, artist, organizer, and critic of 20th and 21st century Black performance and visual cultures. His work, which spans embodiment,...
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Video
Panel Discussion Featuring b. Robert Moore, Nikole Hannah-Jones, and Jordan Weber
Iowa’s 2023 census data cites that of the 3,207,004 people in the state, 84.4% or 2,702,598 of the population are white. Growing up in a state with such low rates of racial diversity is an...
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Video
Whispers of Guabancex, A Shamanic Dance of Healing and Release by N’Jelle Gage Thorne
Performed in the Des Moines Art Center’s exhibition “Hurricane Season: Caribbean Art + Climate Change” on July 11 and 12, 2024. About the Artist: Inspired by the poetry of Celia Sorhaindo, N’Jelle Gage Thorne embodies...
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Video
“States of Becoming” Exhibition Overview and Artist Discussion
On February 11, 2024 at the Des Moines Art Center, “States of Becoming” curator Fitsum Shebeshe provided insight into the premise of the exhibition and introduced the work of 17 African artists working in the...
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Video
Artist Lectures + Conversation: Ange Altenhofen and T. J. Dedeaux-Norris with Senior Curator Laura Burkhalter
During this Artist Lecture + Conversation, Ange Altenhofen and T. J. Dedeaux-Norris, two of the artists featured in the 2023 Des Moines Art Center exhibition “Transform Any Room,” introduced their work through a brief slide...
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Video
Artist Lecture: “Liza Lou: The Marathon of Making”
Liza Lou visited the Des Moines Art Center on the occasion of her work “Kitchen” (1991-1996) being featured in the exhibition “Transform Any Room” (October 6, 2023 – January 14, 2024). Covering bodies of work...
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Video
Iowa Artists 2022: Miriam Alarcón Avila, Artist Lecture
Miriam Alarcón Avila, the Des Moines Art Center’s 2022 Iowa Artist, participates in a conversation with Laura Burkhalter, curatorial manager, about her trajectory and passions as an artist.
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Article
Hold Me Closer Community Photo Showcase
Simple moments of connection can impact us forever. VIEW COMMUNITY SHOWCASE If you would like to share your tender memories, embraces, and snapshots of physical connection to be featured in the online Hold Me...
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Video
Artist Panel Discussion: Who Owns Images?
What makes a work of art any different than the thousands of images that enter our homes every day? Photographs, photocopies, prints, the internet, television, and cell phones; in a world of endless and easy...
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