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

DES MOINES, IOWA (September 2024) – The Des Moines Art Center has received a $4,100 grant from Variety – the Children’s Charity for youth art programs.

With this grant, Des Moines Public School students will be able to attend Fine Arts Day at the Des Moines Art Center and elementary students living in the rural communities of Boone, Newton, and Perry will be able to participate in Creativity Days. Each of these programs provides unique art experiences for students, at no cost. Funding will be used to cover the cost of lunches and transportation for participating students.

“We are grateful to Variety – the Children’s Charity for their support of Fine Arts Day and Creativity Days. Both of these transformational programs deliver meaningful art experiences for rural and urban students who would not otherwise have access and allows these young people to see themselves represented within the arts,” said Dr. Kelly Baum, John and Mary Pappajohn Director. “Together, Variety – the Children’s Charity and the Des Moines Art Center are advancing art access for hundreds of school children, giving Iowa youth a chance to gain the many positive benefits that engagement with the arts provides.

Fine Arts Day offers an arts-based experience for 300 Des Moines middle school and high school students enrolled in Brother 2 Brother (B2B) and Sisters 4 Success (S4S) programs. Both programs were created to help students of color to be successful in school. Today, S4S helps female students at East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt High Schools, and all Des Moines middle schools. B2B supports male students at Des Moines area high schools: East, Hoover, Lincoln, North, and Roosevelt, as well as in Callanan Middle School and Moulton Elementary School. The program has since expanded to McCombs, Harding, Hiatt, and Merrill Middle Schools and continues to grow.

Creativity Days offer dynamic and engaging art opportunities for students living in rural Iowa communities who have limited access to museums and cultural institutions. This program offers a life-changing and memorable exposure to art. For many, Creativity Days is their first field trip to a museum of any kind. During a four-hour visit, students discuss artwork in the museum’s galleries, create original works of art in a studio classroom, and participate in a creative movement activity, all under the thoughtful guidance of teaching artists and museum docents.

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
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. The Art Center is committed to the values of diversity, equity, and inclusion, which are incorporated into every facet of its mission and identity.

About Variety – the Children’s Charity of Iowa
Variety – the Children’s Charity is dedicated to improving the lives of children who are underprivileged, at-risk, critically ill, or living with special needs. Grant funding is provided to programs and initiatives that directly impact the well-being of children in our community.

For more information on Variety grants and programs please visit varietyiowa.com.

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