The Art Center offers free educational resources for families, individuals, and educators. Explore artist talks, gallery guides, hands-on activities, and more.
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...
Watch
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,...
Watch
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...
Download
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...
Watch
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...
Watch
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,...
Watch
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....
Download
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...
Watch
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...
Watch
Inspire learning through a step-by-step exploration of art at the Des Moines Art Center. Bring the galleries into your home or classroom, igniting your students’ imaginations and creativity. All lesson plans are open ended, adaptable,...
Download