If you are looking to find art and entertainment specific to the Des Moines area, there has never been a better time than to find it.
Des Moines Art Week returns from June 17 to 23, not only returning in full force for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, but with more events than ever.
“The first year there were about seven events and that grew to 80 events a week (this year),” said artist Rachel Buss. “So he really needed more hands-on exercise.”
Buss, a local sculptor, has helped organize Art Week in recent years. However, as the annual event continued to expand, Buse found himself in need of outside help.
Teva Dawson and her team at Group Creative Service intervene. The organization helps artists to participate in public events and turns public spaces into art.
“We’re trying to bring art to more unexpected places and attract more diverse communities,” Dawson said of his team’s approach to this year’s show. “Every day is so different. There will be a different feeling every day, a different day to explore. There is rarely a repetitive performer. ”
This year, instead of sporadically arranging events during the week, the programs will be distributed more deliberately in different neighborhoods of Des Moines every day.
“It’s growing and evolving beyond what it has been in recent years,” Boose said. “Every year I find new collaborators, new partners, and I hope that every year when I attend, I hope that people will find and discover new artists and support their work.”
With dozens of events during the week, the Des Moines Registry has chosen one event from each day / place to highlight.
Day 1: Ingersoll & Grand Avenue
Where: Various restaurants
When: Friday, June 17, from noon to 11 p.m.
The feast for your eyes begins at noon and continues for the rest of the day in the bars and restaurants on Ingersoll Avenue.
The event brings together chefs and mixologists from places such as the Southeast Asian restaurant Lucky Lotus, Lachele’s Fine Foods and The Bartender’s Handshake with local artists collaborating on food and drink influenced by their work.
According to the organizers, the following restaurants and artists will be among those presented at the event.
- Lucky Lotus (2721 Ingersoll Ave.) starring artist Michael Kunzler, owner of Kunzler Studios Art & Gallery.
- Cheese Bar (2925 Ingersoll Ave.) featuring artist Pat Millin.
- The handshake of the bartender (3615 Ingersoll Ave.) with the participation of the artist Juliana Dubin from Keshet Art Glass.
- Harbinger (2724 Ingersoll Ave.) starring artist Pamela Moore.
- Lachele’s Fine Foods (2716 Ingersoll Ave.) starring artist Ryan Topete.
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Day 2: Oak Park / Highland Park
Where: It remains to be seen
When: Saturday, June 18, from 12:30 to 15:00
The neighborhood will host the Juneteenth Community Grid Mural as part of this year’s Art Week.
The event will take place at a place to be determined at the intersection of Sixth and Euclid Avenues on Saturday afternoon and will invite community members to create a joint mural using pre-cut grid squares on watercolor paper.
This event will be repeated for several days until the finished mural is unveiled on June 23.
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Day 3: Drake
Where: Cottage Grove Ave.
When: Sunday, June 19, from 3 to 5 p.m.
The Cottage Grove Avenue Porch Crawl is part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Cottage Grove Avenue.
For several hours this afternoon, up to 15 artists will share or sell their art on lawns and front porches of homes between 24th and 33rd streets.
If visitors end their walk near Dogtown at 5pm, they will be able to easily attend evening events that include a documentary, numerous art exhibitions and the Kalypso Music Festival at xBk Live.
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Day 4: Franklin District
Where: Perkins School Parking, 4301 College Ave.
When: Monday, June 20, 5 to 6 p.m.
Artists celebrate World Refugee Day will include a variety of food and music options within an hour for visitors.
World Refugee Day is an annual day for recognizing the right to seek safety. Artists and performers throughout the evening will include a Sudanese girls’ dance group, the Genesis Youth Foundation and the Lao-American Association in Iowa, among others.
Day 5: Des Moines Center
Where: Mainframe Studios, 900 Keosauqua Way
When: June 21, Tuesday, 5 to 8 p.m.
Central Iowans will have a unique opportunity on the fifth day, when they are invited to play on a mini-golf course made by artists. The opening ceremony of Mainframe Studios is a free event that includes a miniature six-hole golf course in the art center.
Mainframe Studios will also open its studios for the evening, allowing visitors to peek into the spaces where some of Des Moines’ most prolific artists create their work. Food and beverages from Tangerine Food Co. will be served.
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Day 6: Columbus Park
Where: Tumea & Sons Restaurant, 1501 SE First St.
When: June 22, Wednesday, 5 to 7 p.m.
Abby Niederhauser is a local pop singer who has a project that takes 25 years of her life: an ever-growing ball of 200-pound yarn she has been assembling since she was 10 years old.
This The Big Ball Of Yarn Appearance will allow locals to see the project Nierderhauser has been crocheting since 1997. At the same time and on site, artist Jennifer Leatherby will also be making free portraits for quick painting.
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Day 7: Valley Junction
Where: 100 and 200 blocks of Fifth St., West Des Moines
When: Thursday, June 23, 5 to 7 p.m.
After numerous public events during the week inviting the public to help create dolls for the event, the day of the first Big Head parade of its kind is finally arriving.
The event takes place during the Valley Junction farmers market that day and will include a set of dolls for this march through the streets of the Valley Junction. People who participated in one of the pop-ups to create dolls earlier in the week can help with the event with their own dolls or just drop by to see if the doll they made appears during this event.
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More information about Art Week 2022 and countless other events scheduled for this year can be found at artweekdesmoines.com.
Isaac Hamlet covers the arts, entertainment and culture in the Des Moines Register. Contact him at [email protected] or 319-600-2124, follow him on Twitter @IsaacHamlet.