Des Moines Art Center

06/01/2026

You are invited to join us at Art for Brunch! at the Des Moines Art Center. Come hang at this monthly meetup for adults of all ages and enjoy thoughtful conversation as we unpack a work of art in the museum galleries.

Register for free for Sunday, June 7: https://bit.ly/4ebcyRk

*While brunch is not provided as part of this free program, we encourage you to make it a date and pair this event with a visit to the Art Center Café!

05/29/2026

Mini GurglePots are back in stock at the Museum Shop! Stop in to grab this adorable summer kitchen accessory. Shop online any time: https://desmoinesartcentershop.org/

05/28/2026

ICYMI: See artist Simone Harris perform as Lady Blake Ophelia Stratum, followed by a Q&A with the 2026 Toni and Tim Urban Artist-in-Residence Christine Rebet.

Rebet's exhibition “Christine Rebet: Sound of Time” is on view in the Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey Gallery through August 30.

The 2026 Toni and Tim Urban Artist-in-Residence supported an incredible live performance of “The Fall,” an animated film by French artist Christine Rebet. Rebet’s film was created in collaboration with...

05/27/2026

Creative Aging is designed for adults age 55+ to gather at the Art Center and learn about art.

In our Gallery Series, an Art Center docent leads the group in a collaborative discussion, focusing on one work of art in the museum galleries. Following the gallery talk, guests are invited to an informal social time with coffee and tea.

In our Studio Series, teaching artists work with the group, trying a variety of exploratory projects and techniques. In our July classes we will try abstract drawing and linocut printing.

Check the Art Center events calendar to register for upcoming sessions: https://bit.ly/46fgw4H

05/26/2026

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Des Moines Art Center will be sharing art from our collection throughout the year. These images will highlight American artists, history, and culture.

Born in Seattle, Roger Shimomura is a third-generation American who, as a child, spent two years confined with his family in a camp in Idaho. During World War II, the United States forcibly relocated and incarcerated nearly 120,000 people of Japanese descent. Shimomura’s earliest memories stem from the time of his imprisonment. In the ironically titled "American Guardian," the silhouette of an American soldier with a rifle looms above the tiny figure of Shimomura on his tricycle. The piece draws from multiple graphic visual traditions including comic books, Pop Art, and Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints.

Roger Shimomura (American, born 1939)
American Guardian, 2007
Lithograph on paper
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Jim and Ellen Hubbell, 2020.23
Photo: Rich Sanders

05/23/2026

The title of this piece, "Belliqueux," is a French word meaning warlike or aggressive, a term that was used by French settlers to describe Native tribes, including the Ho-Chunk. In the collage, two men - one in traditional regalia and the other in modern regalia and clothing - engage in dance or battle. The image depicts the Plains Indian tradition known as "counting coup," in which a warrior performed feats of bravery such as touching their enemy with their war club at close range. Here, Payer has replaced the war clubs with paintbrushes, humorously associating artmaking with this tradition.

This collage is composed on ledger paper taken from old accounting books, a practice employed by imprisoned 19th century Plains Indians who continued their centuries-old pictographic tradition of recording life events and feats of bravery using an available material. Today, ledger art continues to be a major form of Indigenous artistic practice.

“Iowa Artists 2026: Henry Payer: Aagakinąk Haciwi: We Live Opposite Each Other” is on view at the Des Moines Art Center through June 17, 2026.

Henry Payer (Ho-Chunk, born 1986)
Belliqueux, 2023
Paper bag, book cover, aluminum foil paper, paper, wallpaper sample, spray paint, charcoal and pencil on ledger paper
Courtesy of the artist

05/22/2026

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Des Moines Art Center will be offering several public guided tours titled, “The American Experience: Semiquincentennial.” These tours will highlight works on view in the Art Center galleries that center around American artists, history, and culture.

The first program in this series is Saturday, May 23 from 1 - 2 pm.
Free; no registration required.

*The Des Moines Art Center will be closed Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day.

Fritz Scholder (Native American, 1937 – 2005)
Bicentennial Indian, from “Kent Bicentennial Portfolio: Spirit of Independence”, 1974-75
Lithograph on paper
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Gift of Lorillard, New York, 1975.40.12

05/21/2026

To commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the Des Moines Art Center will be sharing art from our collection throughout the year. These images will highlight American artists, history, and culture.

"Room Divider Sample #2" is a rare early work by Kay Sekimachi. The daughter of Japanese immigrants, the artist spent two years incarcerated in a camp in Utah during World War II. Because the camp lacked the infrastructure for a high school, Sekimachi spent her time painting and drawing. After she was freed, she decided to pursue a career as an artist. In this piece, Sekimachi used a loom to weave together undyed strands of jute (rough fiber made from the stems of plants) and cotton thread to produce an abstract design with subtle patterns and texture. Tufts of cotton project up from the piece, while loose threads hang downwards, emphasizing the materials out of which the work is made and creating the impression of a drawn sketch or painted study. The piece reflects Sekimachi's artistic vision that challenged the notion that weaving was purely utilitarian, championing it instead as a form of fine art.

Kay Sekimachi (Japanese-American, born 1928)
Room Divider Sample #2, c. 1950
Variations of interlacing jute and cotton
Des Moines Art Center Permanent Collections; Purchased with funds from the Des Moines Art Center 75th Anniversary Campaign, 2025.127
Photo: Rich Sanders

05/20/2026

Advance your photography skills this summer with an Art Center class!

📸 Des Moines Photo Walks: Photos on the Go
Strengthen your photography, composition, and lighting skills while exploring Des Moines! Classes will take place outdoors to shoot photos on location. https://bit.ly/3Ri946L

📷 Portrait Photography: Off Camera Lighting
Learn the fundamentals of portrait photography with a focus on using off-camera lighting to create dynamic and professional-quality images. https://bit.ly/49X4alY