Video

A View from the Center of the Americas

In this lecture, Franklin Sirmans will talk about how this unique backdrop has played, and continues to play, a key role in how the museum defines its mission and vision in the 21st Century. 

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Article

May 2019: Mary Ellen Kimball

When Mary Ellen first heard about the My Museum Monday program, she was eager to participate and came up with a plethora of ideas. As an artist herself, she wanted to use this opportunity to bring her imagination to life, and that’s exactly what she did. Having always been drawn to the dark and lonely themes present in Edward Hopper’s work, she dressed up as the woman in Automat (1927), on display at the Art Center.

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Video

The Possibility of Queer Abstraction

David J. Getsy, Professor of Art History at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, discusses the ways in which some queer artists have addressed the problem of representation by pursuing abstraction.

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Article

March 2019: Kristie Bell

For Des Moines Art Center member Kristie Bell, cross stitching is “very soothing and serves as a way to quiet [her] mind.” Naturally, when asked how she would spend three hours alone in the museum, she wanted to cross stitch a replica of a famous work on display.

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Publication

Des Moines Art Center NEWS: April to June 2019

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...

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Video

The Shape of Craft

This lecture by Ezra Shales, author of the recent book The Shape of Craft, will offer compelling ideas that seek to expand thought around the commonly accepted definition of craft.

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Video

Primer Lecture by Alison Ferris

Ferris' lecture poses complicated questions that both artists and the museum field are grappling with: What are art museums' responsibilities in this fraught moment in history?

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