Social Saturday: Great Outdoors

Event Details

Join the Des Moines Art Center’s August Social Saturday event: Great Outdoors! Enjoy crafts in the Art School studios, a scavenger hunt, a guided tour, storytime, treats in the Art Center Café, and so much more.

Schedule of Events:

11 am – 1 pm | Curator Chat
Stop in during this time to hear from an Art Center staff member about the brand new acquisition, “They are witty and transform themselves in order to guide us nashoba holba / wayaha / coyote” (2025) by artist Jeffery Gibson.
Lower Richard Meier Gallery, Kyle and Sharon Krause Atrium
11:15 – 11:30 am | Storytime
Levitt Auditorium
1:30 pm | Conversation with Artist Elle Pérez and Associate Curator Ashton Cooper
Join artist Elle Pérez in conversation with Ashton Cooper; the two will discuss and dive into the body of photographs presented in the exhibition “Elle Pérez: La Despedida.” Registration required.
Levitt Auditorium

Drop-in Activities (11 am – 2 pm):

Museum Galleries

• Find the Social Saturday interactive Art Cart in the galleries.
• Complete a scavenger hunt in the galleries and return your findings to the front desk for a small prize.
  

Macomber Lobby

• Enjoy the Art Center’s Paint-n-Play station.
  

Art School Studios

• Explore creativity and your inner artist! Free drawing available in the studio space, as well as a unique Social Saturday: Great Outdoors activity.
  

Art Center Café

• Stop by for a sit-down lunch, a delicious pastry, and a full coffee and tea menu. Art Center members receive a  10% discount in the café. Package up a picnic to-go and enjoy your meal on the grounds of the Art Center or in Greenwood Park.

Museum Shop

• Browse the Museum Shop to find gifts and souvenirs. Art Center members receive a  10% discount in the Museum Shop.

See our special exhibitions!

• “Topographies: Mapping Being and Belonging” (Anna K. Meredith Gallery)
• “Elle Pérez: La Despedida” (A. H. Blank Gallery)
• “Artists on Fire” (Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey Gallery)
• “Valentin Noujaïm: La Défense” (John Brady Print Gallery)

Social Saturdays occur at the Des Moines Art Center on the second Saturday of the month. This event is free to attend, and no registration is required. Social Saturdays will be documented with photography.

For programs in Levitt Auditorium:
We strive to provide live captioning for all events offered in Levitt Auditorium. Due to interpreter shortages throughout Iowa, American Sign Language interpretation is only available upon request. ASL and other accommodation requests can be made by emailing jfeatherstone@desmoinesartcenter.org.

Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Support is provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Iowa Arts Council, which exists within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.