Accessibility

Restrooms are available throughout the museum. All-gender restrooms are located in the Macomber Lobby and on the lower level of the Richard Meier building. Accessible restrooms are located in the lobby, on the lower level of the Education Wing, and on the lower level of the Meier building.

There are no public restrooms at the Pappajohn Sculpture Park.

Wheelchairs are available upon request, on a first-come, first-served basis, and are free for visitor use. Request a wheelchair at either the Education Desk or the front entrance Information Desk.

Free parking is available at the museum, near the two main entrances. Accessible parking spots are available closest to the Education Entrance and accessibility ramp.

At the sculpture park, on-street metered parking is available surrounding the park. There are several accessible parking spots on the streets closest to the park. Nearby parking garages include: the Nationwide Parking Ramp, 9th and Locust Ramp, and 8th and Mulberry Garage.

All bags, parcels, or items larger than 11”x14”x 6” are considered oversized items and must be stored in a complementary locker. Oversized items, including umbrellas, that can’t fit in a complimentary locker can be stored in another location at the discretion of a Visitor Experience Staff member. All allowable bags should be hand carried at the side, to the front, under a stroller, or on the back of a wheelchair or mobility device. Bags of any size cannot be carried on the back.

Medical exemptions to bag restrictions in the museum will be considered on a case-by-case basis and coordinated with Security and Visitor Experience staff.

For questions before your visit, please reach out to Director of Security and Visitor Experience Bethanie Nix by email, or call our Education Desk at 515.271.0316.

A resource cart with materials to support accessibility, discovery, and creativity is available in the museum’s lobby. It includes large print labels, clipboards and pencils, BINGO activities, and sensory support totes with noise cancelling headphones, sunglasses, and fidget tools.

The museum’s Social Story Narrative is a written guide, available online or as a PDF download, with photographs and short, easy to read sentences. It can be used by anyone to help prepare for a museum visit, detailing what guests will see and how they may interact with the spaces during their time in the museum.

DOWNLOAD

The Art Center’s Community Access Program has partnered with the Iowa Easter Seals to make adaptive art supplies available for programming and studio classes through the Seal’s Adaptive Technology Lending Library. Equipment includes a ImaginAble Guided Hands® Bundle, and Artristic accessible art easel, non-slip mats, Easi-Grip push down table top scissors, and a variety of grip aids for pencils, markers, and paint brushes.

For more information about accessible art making at the Art Center, please reach out to our Community Access Program Manager Kelsey Burr at kburr@desmoinesartcenter.org.

A variety of seating, including chairs, sofas, and benches, is available throughout the museum. Wheelchairs and portable gallery stools can be found in the lobby and may be used in all of the galleries. If guests are unsure where to find gallery stools or available wheelchairs for visitor use, please ask a staff member. Most public programs that happen within a specific gallery space, such as Creative Aging or Art for Brunch!, will have seating available.

Benches can be found throughout the sculpture park.

Descriptive audio transcripts are available for the vast majority of videos and films on view at the museum. A descriptive transcript is a text file that contains both the spoken dialogue (captions) and written descriptions of the important visual elements in a video.

These transcripts can be found in the galleries; if you have trouble locating a copy, please ask an Art Center guard. On descriptive transcript binders, visitors may also find a QR code that allows them to access a PDF that can be read aloud via screen reader.

Large print labels are available for works of art in the museum’s main exhibitions and for select works of art in our collection. These labels can be found in the galleries and in the resource cart in the museum’s lobby.

We strive to provide live captioning for all events offered in Levitt Auditorium, such as lectures, panel conversations, or film showings. Check our Event Calendar to view which programs take place in the auditorium.

We can provide an American Sign Language interpreter for museum programs and planned guided tours of the museum or sculpture park. However, due to interpreter shortages throughout Iowa, ASL interpretation is only available upon request.

ASL and other accommodation requests can be made by emailing jfeatherstone@desmoinesartcenter.org. Please allow two weeks notice to schedule an interpreter.

Guide dogs and other trained service animals are welcome at the museum. Pets and emotional support animals are not permitted.

On-leash pets are welcome at the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park and on the grounds around the museum in Greenwood Park.

We’re here to help! If you have any questions or if you have trouble locating any of these resources during your visit, please don’t hesitate to ask a member of our Visitor Experience team. They can be found throughout the museum.

For questions before your visit, please reach out to Director of Security and Visitor Experience Bethanie Nix by email, or call our Education Desk at 515.271.0316.