Member Event: Exclusive Artist Talk with Aliza Nisenbaum

Event Details

In appreciation of your generous Director’s Circle membership and commitment to the Des Moines Art Center we are pleased to invite you and your special guests to join John and Mary Pappajohn Director and CEO, Kelly Baum, for an exclusive gallery talk and reception with visiting artist Aliza Nisenbaum. Nisenbaum is the 2024-2025 Toni and Tim Urban International Artist-in-Residence. Her work is featured in the current exhibition “Aliza Nisenbaum: Día de los Muertos,” curated by Art Center Associate Curator Beth Gollnick.

Nisenbaum is known for her vibrantly colored, large-scale portraits. She describes her paintings as a “montage of points in time” — rather than depicting a specific moment, they capture the essence of the community she paints. Inspired by her visits to the Des Moines Art Center during the fall of 2024, Nisenbaum created five paintings to commemorate the 25-year history of the Día de los Muertos celebration at the museum.

After the talk, enjoy an exclusive preview of the “Manuel Álvarez Bravo: Collaborations” exhibition before it opens, mingle with fellow Art Center patrons, and enjoy hors d’oeuvres and drinks by the Art Center Café.

Registration required by October 16. Space is limited. Director’s Circle members, register by emailing Jess Lane, Gala and Development Events Coordinator, at jlane@desmoinesartcenter.org.

Aliza Nisenbaum (Mexican and American, lives and works in New York, NY, born 1977)
“Mantilla” (detail), 2025
Oil on canvas
Courtesy of the artist, Anton Kern Gallery, and Regen Projects