For Immediate Release
Contact: Amy Day
515.271.0344 (o)
515.612.0775 (c)
aday@desmoinesartcenter.org
Whether You Love or Loathe Valentine’s Day, the Des Moines Art Center Indulges Any Attitude
Join in on Social Saturday: Love it or Leave it, Themed Studio Classes, and Valentine’s Dinner in the Art Center Café
DES MOINES, IOWA (February 2026) – From the heartfelt to the defiant, the Art Center’s February events cater to every take on the season of love. We invite you to express yourself and join in our upcoming activities planned throughout the museum, Art School, and Art Center Café.
Social Saturday: Love it or Leave it
Visit the Art Center during Social Saturday: Love it or Leave it on Saturday, February 14 from 11 am – 2 pm. Love Valentine’s? Come dressed in festive reds and pinks or hearts galore. Prefer to leave it? Let us know by showing up in somber blacks and grays. Either way, we’ll all be wearing our hearts on our sleeves in recognition of the duality of the day.
Declare your love for your favorite artwork with an interactive “Hearts for Art” activity. Visitors will be invited to place a paper heart on the gallery floor in front of works that have captured their heart.
Join a gallery talk presented by two Art Center staff members and hear them debate the merits of a very popular work. Find out which one loves it and which one…doesn’t. They’ll express their opinions in this lighthearted, yet insightful discussion around what draws us to a piece and what turns us off.
The Art Center Café will offer Valentine’s Day specials and a 20% discount for members. The Art School studios will be open to all with a photobooth and photo editing activity. Participate in a free guided tour from 1 – 2 pm and so much more. Social Saturdays are free and open to the public. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Access for All.
Valentine’s Day Cards Workshops
For ages 7 – 11, this one-day workshop will show students methods of making pop-up Valentine’s Day cards using materials often used for scrapbooking: fancy paper, decorative scissors and hole punches, stamps, and stencils.
Registration is required for this workshop on Sunday, February 8 from 12:30 – 2:30 pm.
Calligraphy Workshop: Love Letters
In this workshop, students will learn calligraphy basics and simple poetry composition for the first part of the class and then create and decorate a love letter for Valentine’s Day.
Registration is required for this one-day workshop on Wednesday, February 11 from 6:30 – 9:30 pm.
Art Center Café Dinner with Friends: In the Company of Love
On Thursday, February 12 at 5:00 pm, join with loved ones at the Art Center Café for a four-course prix fixe dinner designed by Now Now Design Director and foodie, Lucy Shay Solarz. The menu draws from the tradition of still life, where familiar forms are elevated through composition, material, and restraint. Each dish celebrates love as a social practice — designed to be shared, observed, and enjoyed together in good company, with a backdrop of music by DJ Eight Ten.
Reservations are required. Tickets include a four-course meal, beverages, and gratuity. First seating begins at 5 pm and seating ends at 6:15 pm. Call 515.271.0313 or email cafe@desmoinesartcenter.org to reserve your seat and arrival time. Please share any dietary restrictions when making your reservation. Limited capacity.
For additional information, contact Senior Director of Communications and Marketing Amy Day at 515.271.0344 or aday@desmoinesartcenter.org.
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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