For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
Tel: 515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” opens in Des Moines on October 24, 2026, and continues through January 24, 2027, in the Anna K. Meredith and W.T. & Edna Dahl Galleries.
DES MOINES, IOWA (September 2026) – The Des Moines Art Center is thrilled to host a groundbreaking survey of some of the most innovative and exciting art being produced today, one that shines a light on the accomplishments of Latinx artists specifically. Organized by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum in upstate New York, and curated by Dr. Andrea Alvarez, “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” showcases 58 Latinx artists who actively enrich the landscape of contemporary painting by introducing new approaches to form, materials, and subject matter. Many expand the boundaries of what can be considered a painting, experimenting with a wide variety of unconventional materials. Individually and collectively, the artists in this exhibition advance the history of both American art and global contemporary art.
All of the artists featured in “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” live and work in the United States but have roots in Central America and the Caribbean. The paintings they create speak to the multiplicity of their personal attachments and the dynamism of cross–cultural exchange. Many of the paintings are monumental in size, creating an immersive environment as rich in color and texture as it is in meaning and symbolism.
Inspired by former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera’s poem “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way,” the exhibition’s title celebrates the abundance of these artists’ diverse contributions and advancements to the discipline of painting and frames the show’s vision of Latinx art that is, like the diaspora itself, infinitely complex. “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” showcases artists whose expressions are personal and subjective, but which also enrich the histories of American and contemporary art, two fields from which such artists have been historically excluded.
“It has been the honor of my career to work closely with so many innovative and outstanding artists to organize this exhibition,” said Dr. Andrea Alvarez, Curator at the Buffalo AKG Art Museum. “Taken together, the works in ’Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way’ demonstrate the remarkable breadth and depth of contemporary painting by Latinx artists, and the many ways in which those artists continue to interrogate established traditions of painting. This exhibition affirms that these artists are key figures in American contemporary art, and that they and their predecessors have helped shaped that discourse for decades.”
“The Des Moines Art Center is excited to extend its international network of partners and collaborators to the Buffalo AKG Art Museum,” says John and Mary Pappajohn Director and CEO, Kelly Baum. “This exceptional exhibition by Dr. Alvarez is the perfect project with which to forge a new institutional relationship. Rich in scholarship and grounded in a command of art and history, ‘Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way’ introduces a range of new artists and new perspectives to Central Iowa and, importantly, showcases the astounding creativity of contemporary Latinx artists.”
The exhibition is made possible by the Henry Luce Foundation and the Terra Foundation for American Art. At the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, major support is contributed by the Rich Family Foundation and the Rich Family Fund for Community Access. Generous support is provided by Catherine Beltz Foley, Esq. Additional sponsors include the Blum Family, Charlie James Gallery, Fred Eychaner, Lehmann Maupin, and Luis De Jesus Los Angeles. The Des Moines Art Center’s presentation is organized by Senior Curator Laura Burkhalter with exhibition funding support from the Harriet S. and J. Locke Macomber Art Center Fund and sustaining support from the Anna K. Meredith Endowment Trust.
After debuting in Buffalo and stopping Des Moines, ”Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way ” will continue to the Phoenix Art Museum and the Frye Art Museum in Seattle.
Related Events
The public is invited to celebrate the opening of “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” on Friday, October 23 from 5 – 7 pm with light snacks, a cash bar, music, and a first look at the exhibition. Remarks will be made at 6 pm by John and Mary Pappajohn Director and CEO Kelly Baum and Senior Curator Laura Burkhalter.
On Sunday, October 25, from 1:30 – 3 pm, Dr. Andrea Alvarez, along with three featured artists, Danielle De Jesus, Justin Favela, and Patrick Martinez, will provide insight into the premise of the show in an exhibition overview and artist discussion held in Levitt Auditorium.
Later in 2027, artist Sarah Zapata, along with Senior Curator Laura Burkhalter, will present a gallery talk on Thursday, January 7, at 5:30 pm. Zapata is a Peruvian American fabric artist who utilizes traditional weaving, coiling, and latch-hook techniques to achieve contemporary abstracted objects inspired by her heritage.
For additional information, including press images, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.
Top Image:
Vincent Valdez (American, born 1977)
“The Sea” (detail), 2020
Oil on canvas
Copyright Vincent Valdez
Courtesy Matthew Brown
About the Des Moines Art Center
The Des Moines Art Center is a vibrant, AAM-accredited (American Alliance of Museums) institution located in the capital city of Iowa that welcomes around 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.
About the Buffalo AKG Art Museum
Founded in 1862, the Buffalo AKG Art Museum (formerly the Albright-Knox Art Gallery) is the sixth-oldest public art institution in the United States. For more than 160 years, the Buffalo AKG has collected, conserved, and exhibited the art of its time, often working directly with living artists. This tradition has given rise to one of the world’s most extraordinary collections of modern and contemporary art. In June 2023, following the completion of the most significant campus development and expansion project in its history, the Buffalo AKG opened anew to the public. The project is funded by a $230 million capital campaign, the largest such campaign for a cultural institution in the history of Western New York, including $195 million raised for construction and $35 million in additional operating endowment funds.
About the Henry Luce Foundation
The Henry Luce Foundation seeks to enrich public discourse by promoting innovative scholarship, cultivating new leaders, and fostering international understanding. The Foundation advances its mission through grantmaking and leadership programs in the fields of Asia, higher education, religion and theology, art, and public policy
The Luce Foundation’s American Art Program supports innovative museum projects nationwide that advance the role of visual arts of the United States in an open and equitable society, and the potential of museums to serve as forums for art-centered conversations that celebrate creativity, explore difference, and seek common ground. The Foundation empowers museums to reconsider accepted histories, foreground the voices and experiences of underrepresented artists and cultures, and welcome diverse communities into dialogue.
About the Terra Foundation for American Art
The Terra Foundation for American Art expands narratives of American art through our grants, collection, and initiatives. With offices in Chicago and Paris, we work with organizations to foster intercultural dialogues and encourage transformative practices, locally and globally.
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