For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
DES MOINES, IOWA (October 2025) – The Des Moines Art Center has received a $4,750 grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity to support two impactful youth art programs: Creativity Days and Fine Arts Day. Both initiatives provide enriching, hands-on art experiences for students who face economic, geographic, social, or cultural barriers to accessing the arts.
“Variety – the Children’s Charity has a long and meaningful history of helping Iowa youth succeed by providing access to resources they might not otherwise have. We are grateful for Variety’s continued support of these programs and partnership in bringing these vital art experiences to the young people who need them most,” said Dr. Kelly Baum, John and Mary Pappajohn Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Art Center.
Creativity Days provide art education and creative opportunities to fourth-grade students from rural areas with limited access to museums and cultural institutions. During their four-hour visit to the Art Center, these youth explore the galleries, create original artwork in the studios, and participate in a creative movement activity. Guided by professional teaching artists and museum docents (i.e., trained guides), this experience nurtures visual literacy, critical thinking, creativity, and physical well-being, and is often a first trip to a museum for many students.
Fine Arts Day offers a full day of programming for Des Moines middle and high school students in partnership with Brother 2 Brother (B2B) and Sister 4 Success (S4S), initiatives focused on supporting academic achievement and increasing graduation rates. Students hear from professional artists, tour the museum, and participate in interactive, arts-based learning activities. This experience builds confidence, encourages self-expression, and fosters positive social connections through meaningful engagement with the arts.
Funding from the grant will provide transportation and food, enabling students to participate at no cost.
About the Des Moines Art Center
Founded in 1948, the Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited (American Alliance of Museums) institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes nearly 350,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. The Art Center is proud to offer free admission to its galleries, programs, and sculpture park for all visitors. Our 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 largest art museum in the Greater Des Moines metro and one of the few in the state, 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.
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