Des Moines Art Center

We invite you to join the Des Moines Art Center in welcoming artist Alison Saar as the featured speaker of our annual Fingerman Lecture series. Saar’s work examines the place of the female body in the realms of politics and spirituality. She explores Black female identity, and the powerful, multifaceted roles women play — from everyday life to timeless, legendary figures.
Saar has exhibited artworks at many galleries and museums throughout the United States. Her art is represented in the collections of the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Baltimore Art Museum, the Museum of Modern Art, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Her 1997 piece, “Sweeping Beauty” was added to the Des Moines Art Center’s permanent collection in 2003.
The Fingerman Lecture series is made possible through generous gifts by Lois and the late Dr. Louis Fingerman. Alison Saar is the 36th installment in the series.
Free; registration required. Photo: Alison Saar

Local Event: 2026 Fingerman Lecture: Artist Alison Saar

Polk County

Des Moines

Iowa

2026 Fingerman Lecture: Artist Alison Saar

We invite you to join the Des Moines Art Center in welcoming artist Alison Saar as the featured speaker of our annual Fingerman...

Join the Des Moines Art Center’s October Social Saturday event: Monster Mash! Enjoy crafts in the Art School studios, Fright Night with Final Act Ensemble, a scavenger hunt, a guided tour, spooky story time, treats in the Art Center Café, and so much more.
We invite you to dress for the season and come in costume! Please dress appropriately for a family friendly event. Consider safety and security when choosing your outfit. Avoid tails, wings, costume props or inflatable elements that could accidentally damage artwork as you walk through the galleries. Costume masks and replica weapons are not allowed. Our security team has the right to refuse any costume entering the museum.
<h5>Schedule of Events:</h5>
11:15 – 11:30 am | Spooky Storytime (all ages) Levitt Auditorium 1 pm | Guided Tour (all ages) Meet in the Macomber Lobby 1:30 pm | Fright Night with Final Act Ensemble The Des Moines Community Playhouse’s <a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/event/fright-night-with-final-act-ensemble/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Final Act Ensemble</a> brings ghosts, witches, murder, and mystery to life in a Halloween performance inspired by the golden age of radio. *Please note: This program may not be suitable for young children. Levitt Auditorium
<h5>Drop-in Activities (11 am – 2 pm):</h5>
Museum Galleries
<ul><li>Find the Social Saturday interactive Art Cart in the galleries.</li><li>Complete a scavenger hunt in the galleries and return your findings to the front desk for a small prize. </li></ul>
Macomber Lobby
<ul><li>Enjoy the Art Center’s Paint-n-Play station. </li></ul>
Art School Studios
<ul><li>Explore creativity and your inner artist! Free drawing available in the studio space, as well as a unique Social Saturday: Monster Mash activity with jack-o’-lanterns. </li></ul>
Art Center Café 
<ul><li>Stop by for a sit-down lunch, a delicious pastry, and a full coffee and tea menu. <a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/support/membership/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Art Center members</a> receive a&nbsp; 10% discount in the café. Package up a picnic to-go and enjoy your meal on the grounds of the Art Center or in Greenwood Park.</li></ul>
Museum Shop
<ul><li>Browse the Museum Shop to find gifts and souvenirs. <a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/support/membership/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">Art Center members</a> receive a&nbsp; 10% discount in the Museum Shop.</li></ul>
See our special exhibitions!
<ul><li><a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/elle-perez/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“Elle Pérez: La Despedida”</a> (A. H. Blank Gallery)</li><li><a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/artists-on-fire/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“Artists on Fire”</a> (Pamela Bass-Bookey and Harry Bookey Gallery)</li><li><a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/valentin-noujaim/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“Valentin Noujaïm: La Défense”</a>&nbsp;(John Brady Print Gallery)</li></ul>

Local Event: Social Saturday: Monster Mash

Social Saturday: Monster Mash

Join the Des Moines Art Center’s October Social Saturday event: Monster Mash! Enjoy crafts in the Art School studios, Fright...

Join us for the opening celebration of <a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/let-us-gather-in-a-flourishing-way/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting”</a> in the Anna K. Meredith Gallery. Inspired by a 2008 poem of the same name by former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” celebrates the vision and creativity of Latinx painters. Organized by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, the exhibition showcases 58 artists who actively enrich the landscape of contemporary painting, introducing new approaches to form, materials, and subject matter.
Bring family and friends to be the first to view the artwork, and kick off the evening with complimentary lite bites from Lara’s Bakery &amp; Market. Drinks available for purchase at a cashless bar (credit and debit cards only), plus the bar features a specialty ‘Harvest Margarita’ cocktail. Music by DJ Lizz with Latino Events Entertainment. Remarks from Kelly Baum, John and Mary Pappajohn Director and CEO, will take place at 6 pm.Lilian Martinez (American, born 1986) Garden Club, 2024 Acrylic on canvas Gift of Pamela and David Hornik, 2025 2025:9

Local Event: Exhibition Opening Celebration: “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting”

Exhibition Opening Celebration: “Let Us Gather...

Join us for the opening celebration of “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting” in the Anna K....

Exhibition Opening Celebration: “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting”

Join the Des Moines Art Center for an invigorating discussion about the traveling exhibition organized by the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting,” which is on view at the Art Center from October 24, 2026, through January 24, 2027. Inspired by a 2008 poem of the same name by former US Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera, “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” celebrates the vision and creativity of Latinx painters. It showcases 58 artists who actively enrich the landscape of contemporary painting, introducing new approaches to form, materials, and subject matter.
 Dr. Andrea Alvarez, curator of the exhibition, will provide insight into the premise of the show and introduce us to three of the featured artists: Danielle De Jesus, Justin Favela, and Patrick Martinez.
Danielle De Jesus is a Nuyorican painter and photographer born and raised in Bushwick, Brooklyn, whose woks tell the story of growing up in New York City amid gentrification and displacement. De Jesus’s background is in photography, and she utilizes her images of people native to Bushwick as a reference to tell the story of the community’s displaced residents.
Justin Favela is based in Las Vegas and is known for large-scale installations and sculpture that manifest his interactions with American pop culture and the queer Latinx experience. Favela explores traditional Mexican and Latin American craft — specifically cartoneria (a traditional Mexican folk art form that involves three-dimensional objects using papier-mâché and cardboard) — and his interest in art history, community, celebration, and home inform a practice intent on dismantling institutional hierarchies. Visitors may remember Favela from his 2021 exhibition at the Art Center, “Central American.”
Patrick Martinez maintains a diverse practice that includes mixed-media landscape paintings, neon signs pieces, cake paintings, and his Pee Chee series of appropriative works. His landscape paintings composed of Los Angeles surfaces — distressed stucco, spray paint, window security bars, vinyl signage, ceramic tile, and neon sign elements — evoke place and socioeconomic positions, unearth sites of personal and cultural loss. He lives and works in Los Angeles.
Free; registration required.
Image (left to right): Andrea Alvarez, curator of the exhibition, Patrick Martinez (artist), Justin Favela (artist), and Danielle De Jesus (artist).

Local Event: “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” Curator and Artist Discussion

“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” Curator...

Join the Des Moines Art Center for an invigorating discussion about the traveling exhibition organized by the Buffalo AKG Art...

“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” Curator and Artist Discussion

Join us for the 26th annual Día de los Muertos at the Des Moines Art Center—our largest community celebration of the year. Rooted in Mexican tradition, Día de los Muertos is a time to gather in remembrance, honoring loved ones who have died through joy, ritual, storytelling, food, art, and shared celebration. The Art Center is pleased to help create space for this meaningful community tradition each year.
This year’s theme centers on civil rights, inspired by the phrase ¡Sí Se Puede! (“Yes, we can”), created by Dolores Huerta for the United Farm Workers movement. Together, we honor the people and collective efforts that have strengthened Latino communities in Iowa and across the United States, while reflecting on the power of gathering, shared purpose, and community care.
Visitors will enjoy live music and dance performances, food and art vendors, hands-on art activities, a festive Catrina photo opportunity, a community ofrenda, and a short documentary film featuring this year’s honoree, Felicia Timotea Leon Mullin. Free hot cocoa and samples of pan de muerto will be available while supplies last, and a complimentary shuttle will run from Merrill Middle School for easy parking.
Inspired in part by the Art Center’s current exhibition<a href="https://desmoinesartcenter.org/art/exhibitions/let-us-gather-in-a-flourishing-way/" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank"> “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting,”</a> this year’s event reflects gathering, belonging, and the ways communities care for one another. In partnership with Progress Iowa and other community organizations, we’ll also recognize local leadership and the collective work of building stronger communities.
At its heart, Día de los Muertos at the Art Center is about community. It’s a space where art, culture, memory, and shared tradition bring people together. The Des Moines Art Center is proud to be a welcoming and inspiring cultural space for all.
Take advantage of easy parking and a free shuttle from Merrill Middle School, running continuously from 11 am to 3 pm.
Schedule of Events: 11:15 – 11:30 am Bilingual Storytime| Levitt Auditorium 11:30 am&nbsp;<a href="https://www.facebook.com/mariachilosaguilares.aguilar/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Mariachi Los Aguilares&nbsp;</a>| Processional to begin in the Macomber Lobby 12 – 1 pm&nbsp;Honoree Film Screening + KonKultura Dance Performance | Levitt Auditorium&nbsp; 12:30 – 1 pm Music: <a href="https://www.cultureall.org/ambassadors/carlos-chacon" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Carlos Chacon</a> | Upper Parking Lot 12:30 – 2:30 pm Catrina Photobooth | Upper Parking Lot 1:30 – 2 pm&nbsp;Music: <a href="https://www.officiallani.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">Lani Ecclatt</a> | Upper Parking Lot 2 – 3 pm&nbsp;Repeat Film Screening + KonKultura Dance Performance | Levitt Auditorium

Local Event: Day of the Dead 2026: ¡Sí Se Puede!

Day of the Dead 2026: ¡Sí Se Puede!

Join us for the 26th annual Día de los Muertos at the Des Moines Art Center—our largest community celebration of the year....

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Join Wacoal for Fit for the Cure®, a special in-person event that combines expert bra fittings with meaningful impact in the fight against breast cancer.
Receive a complimentary bra fitting. For every guest who gets fit and purchases a regular-price Wacoal or b.tempt’d bra at the event, Wacoal will donate $5 to Susan G. Komen®, supporting breast cancer research, patient services, and critical education programs.
Whether you’re overdue for a fitting, refreshing your top drawer, or simply looking for a meaningful way to give back, this is an easy way to do something good for yourself and your community.
Bring your daughters, friends, sisters, and neighbors. Make it a girls’ day with purpose!
The event runs all day; check your location for availability. Appointments are encouraged, but walk-ins are welcome, and the event is open to all.

Local Event: Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness

Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer...

Join Wacoal for Fit for the Cure®, a special in-person event that combines expert bra fittings with meaningful impact in the...

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Posting Activity

2026 Fingerman Lecture: Artist Alison Saar

OCT

4

1:30 PM

Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

Social Saturday: Monster Mash

OCT

10

11:00 AM

Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

Exhibition Opening Celebration: “Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way: Contemporary Latinx Painting”

OCT

23

5:00 PM

Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

“Let Us Gather in a Flourishing Way” Curator and Artist Discussion

OCT

25

1:00 PM

Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

Day of the Dead 2026: ¡Sí Se Puede!

NOV

1

11:00 AM

Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave, Des Moines, IA

Free Bra Fittings to Support Breast Cancer Awareness