Odds are that any coffee-bearing establishment you wander into will have art on its walls. There’s an equal chance that those artworks, hung above half-and-half stations and study spaces, are the creations of a local or small artist. So it’s no surprise that Wake Up Iowa Coffee at 3605 Douglas Ave in Des Moines would […]
Iowa art
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Stanley Museum debuts exhibition of work by Hayward Oubre, a trailblazing UI art student and HBCU instructor
This fall, the University of Iowa will welcome home the work of Hayward Oubre, whose career was as disciplined and deliberate as the artist that shaped it. “Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity,” on display now through Dec. 7, brings together a collection of sculptures, paintings and prints in the first comprehensive solo exhibition of his work. […]
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Review: Mainframe’s earth-centric First Friday centered stark realities and real reptiles
From month to month, Mainframe Studios in Des Moines is always changing. With each First Friday event, the sprawling creative hub sheds one artistic skin to reveal another. April’s energetic and interactive showcase “Diverse by Design” gave way this May to something quieter, deeper and more reflective. On May 2, 2025, Mainframe welcomed visitors from […]
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Mainframe Studios becomes a free, interactive art museum on First Fridays, drawing thousands of Des Moines art lovers
On the first Friday of every month, something incredible happens at 900 Keosauqua Way. Creativity spills from every floor of Des Moines’ Mainframe Studios, transforming the city’s largest artist hub into a vibrant, open-door celebration of local art, music and community spirit. Inside, over 180 artists open their studios to the public, revealing an ecosystem of expression.
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The million-matchstick masterpieces of Iowan Pat Acton
If you’re visiting Gladbrook in Tama County, it’s probably for Matchstick Marvels. And the nice people of Gladbrook know it — they’ve put “Home of Matchstick Marvels” on both of the city’s welcome signs. Matchstick Marvels is the hometown museum of one of Iowa’s most prominent folk artists, Pat Acton, who works primarily with wooden […]
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Five questions with Siricasso, visual artist and Rural Regenerator Grant recipient
Siriaco Garcia (who goes by the artist moniker Siricasso) is a muralist, painter and event planner currently living in Huxley, a town in the Ames metro area. The Texas native was named a “Rural Regenerator Fellow” this year by Springboard For The Arts and will receive $10,000 to continue his work in Central Iowa. Little […]
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Contact Buzz: The history of the Iowa State Fair’s old, inclusive art show
Shawn Palek doesn’t enter competitions any longer. Lately, he prefers to sponsor shows and competitions for emerging artists, mentoring many. He continues to paint new works, with many murals to his credit. But in the early 2000s, the contemporary visual artist and arts advocate decided to venture into the Iowa State Fair Fine Arts Competition. […]
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Waukee’s Arts Festival is back for its seventh year
Waukee’s seventh-annual Arts Festival starts at 5 p.m. on Friday in Centennial Park, featuring homegrown music, over 100 artists selling original handmade work, a beer garden and food. The festival will feature Bulgogi from Sooks, wood oven-cooked pizza from Ferinheit Pizza, street tacos from Roadside Tacos, fresh hand-rolled Thai-inspired ice cream from Totally Rolled, and […]
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Art City: Broadening the spectrum
The Figge’s African American Art Since 1950: Perspectives from the David C. Driskell Center constitutes 55 artists represented through 62 works of art in a variety of media: paintings, prints, collages, photography, ceramics, sculpture and video. The work, which is on loan from The David C. Driskell Center, encompasses the broad spectrum of political and […]
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Art City: Painting America in Paris
Paris in the 1920s was a hub of intellectual and artistic activity, luring artists from all over the world. Many American expats fled their homeland and its morass of economic troubles, institutionalized racism and strict censorship laws to Paris’s rarefied atmosphere, holding out the promise of artistic freedom and intellectual openness. Two influential American painters […]
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Meet the Market: James Spring, woodcarver extraordinaire
James Spring has lived in the woods for 35 years. He grew up in nature, and now lives with his wife Jane in the timber near Burlington. Spring’s connection to nature is evident in his work: He creates intricate illustrations of birds and plant life and is known internationally for his carvings of birds.
