For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (m)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org

DES MOINES, IOWA (November 2026) – The Des Moines Art Center is recognizing A Day With(out) Art during an afternoon of art, film, and music on Sunday, November 29, from 1:30 – 3:30 pm.

A Day With(out) Art is 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. A Day With(out) Art offers a place to remember lives lost, recognize people living with HIV, and reflect on the ongoing work of confronting stigmas.

Iowa-Connected AIDS Memorial Quilt Panels on View
Three sections of the AIDS Memorial Quilt will be on view in the Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber lobby between November 17 – 29. Created by families, friends, and communities, the AIDS Memorial Quilt is a national memorial that honors people who have died of AIDS-related causes. The handmade memorials preserve stories of individuals and communities across Iowa, inviting reflection on lost loved ones and the people who responded with care, education, and advocacy.

The three panels on display at the Art Center represent people who have direct ties to Iowa, including: Robert Mann, whose experiences living with AIDS helped shape an AIDS ministry at First United Methodist Church in downtown Des Moines; a collective memorial “To our friends who have died from AIDS” connected to sixth-grade students at Fairbank Elementary School in northeast Iowa; and memorials to actor and AIDS educator Tom Hotchkiss, also known professionally as Toby Richard, entrepreneur Alan R. Hammond, and Iowa State University graduate Dave Matheason. One section also includes “To All Iowans Not Listed,” featuring a poem by Des Moines HIV/AIDS educator and advocate Sharon “Pretty Blue Butterfly Woman” Haught.

Performance by Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus
Members of the Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus will kick off the event with a lively and touching 20-minute performance in Levitt Auditorium beginning at 1:30 pm. The set will include selections from their upcoming holiday concert, A Quaint Queer Christmas. The chorus will also perform their core repertoire celebrating the strength and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community. The AIDS epidemic has profoundly affected the community and the gay men’s and queer chorus movements over the past 50-plus years. The chorus is honored to take part, lifting its voices in remembrance and hope.

Following the choral performance will be a screening of the film “Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt.” This Academy Award-winning documentary, directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman in 1989, tells the stories of people memorialized in the quilt and examines the epidemic’s human impact.

Space for Healing, Remembrance, and Hope
The arts have always inspired change and provided a space for reflection and healing. This event honors that role by creating opportunities for connection and open dialogue. As part of its mission, the Art Center strives to be a home where meaningful encounters with art and people build creative, empathetic communities.

The event is free and open to the public. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All initiative.

For more information, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 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. In 2025, as part of its strategic plan, the Art Center adopted the values of equity, respect, integrity, continuous reflection, and collaboration. 

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