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

DES MOINES, IOWA (July 2023) – The Des Moines Art Center recently received a Legacy Grant totaling $100,000 from Prairie Meadows. The grant will help fund lighting upgrades and renovation in multiple galleries throughout the museum: the A.H. Blank Gallery and Kyle and Sharon Krause Galleries in the Saarinen building and galleries in the Pei building. Prairie Meadows is a nonprofit organization dedicated to lessening the burden of government by promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa.

“Our goal for these grants is to be the catalyst that sparks change in our community and improves the lives of our neighbors. Our Legacy Grants provide funding in the range of $100,000 to $1 million for large-scale, signature projects. We are proud to support the Des Moines Art Center as one of our 2023 grant recipients,” said Gary Palmer, President & CEO of Prairie Meadows.

The Legacy Grant will improve the lives of people in central Iowa by enabling the Des Moines Art Center to complete gallery renovations. The renovations are part of a suite of facilities projects in conjunction with the Des Moines Art Center’s ongoing 75th Anniversary capital campaign launched in 2021. The grant from Prairie Meadows will partially support lighting upgrades, new flooring, and renovation in multiple galleries throughout the museum. The project is expected to be completed in spring 2024.

As Dr. Kelly Baum, John and Mary Pappajohn Director states, “The Art Center is deeply grateful to Prairie Meadows for supporting the preservation and renovation of galleries in two of our buildings. The world has long recognized the architectural importance of these structures, one designed by Eliel Saarinen and the other by I. M. Pei, both of which were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. We are thrilled to have the support of Prairie Meadows as we endeavor to uplift these already beautiful spaces, reinstating some of their original details and introducing more energy efficient lighting systems, which has a financial benefit for the Art Center and an environmental benefit for the globe.”

For additional information about Prairie Meadow’s community impact, visit prairiemeadows.com/community or contact Director of External Affairs Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org for information about the Art Center’s 75th Anniversary capital campaign.

About Prairie Meadows
Prairie Meadows began operations as a nonprofit organization in 1989, with the goal of promoting economic development, jobs, agriculture, and tourism in the state of Iowa. Through taxes, grants, and charitable donations, Prairie Meadows has given $2.1 billion to the state of Iowa. Prairie Meadows offers slot machines, table games, live and simulcast racing, sports wagering, hotel accommodation, entertainment, and more.

About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes over 270,000 visitors annually from across the country and around the globe. Its historic campus consists of three buildings designed by major architects of 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 spirit of the 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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