For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
DES MOINES, IOWA (December 3, 2025) – The Des Moines Art Center is honored to participate in A Day With(out) Art, joining a national initiative that commemorates World AIDS Day and recognizes the profound impact and enduring resilience of the LGBTQIA+ community’s response to the AIDS epidemic. The arts have long been a place for reflection, healing, and calls to action, and this event centers that truth by bringing the community together for conversation, connection, and collective care. As part of its mission, the Art Center strives to be a home where meaningful dialogue and shared creative work support and uplift diverse audiences.
The event will begin in the Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Lobby with light refreshments and the opportunity to explore resources from LGBTQIA+ partner organizations, including Capital City Pride, Iowa Safe Schools, One Iowa, and Primary Health Care. Visitors are invited to contribute to a participatory installation designed by teaching artist Indigo Moore, created to foster community reflection and the act of making something together.
At 2:30 pm, Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence—Priory of the Wild Rose, Iowa Chapter—will lead a reflective processional to Levitt Auditorium. The program will open with a welcoming blessing in collaboration with members of the Rainbow Faith Coalition, followed by a panel discussion on Continuing Care. The panel features Becky Johnson (Primary Health Care provider), Michael Weeks (HIV activist and 2003 Iowa Bear), Marissa Mickunas (mental health therapist), and Gary Moore (community elder and retired Senior Bartender of the Blazing Saddle). The conversation will be hosted by Sister Dia Niceas (Kara Raphaeli), professor of theatre at Simpson College and Prioress of the Priory of the Wild Rose.
The event is free and open to the public. Captioning will be provided in the auditorium, and all spaces are wheelchair accessible.
Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.
For more information, or to request images, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.
About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited (American Association of Museums) institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes over 300,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. Its historic campus consists of three buildings designed by major architects of the 20th century—Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier—incorporated into the natural landscape of Greenwood Park. The Art Center is home to one of the strongest collections of 20th- and 21st-century art in the region, and it hosts a series of ground-breaking exhibitions and lectures each year featuring artists known regionally, nationally, and internationally. The experimental art for which the Art Center cares is reflected in its creative offerings, including a celebrated education program that prioritizes access and collaboration, an art school with studio classes for all ages, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park, situated on 4.4 acres in downtown Des Moines. The Art Center is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are incorporated into every facet of its mission and identity.
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