Ben Millett’s quilts are tactile records, coded with color, memory and meaning. They look soft because they are, but their softness doesn’t dull their message. Instead, it amplifies it. On July 26, 2025, the Des Moines Art Center will open its first-ever quilt-based solo exhibition, “Iowa Artists 2025: Ben Millett,” a showcase of about 20 […]
Mainframe Studios
Posted inArts & Entertainment
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 […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
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.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
What can ten artists do with ten pianos?
The Mainframe Studios lobby filled with decorated keys Friday as City Sounds debuted 10 pianos designed by ten local artists. A donation buys community members a ballot to vote for their favorite transformed piano. Soon, each piano will be scattered about the city for a scavenger hunt. Those locations will be revealed at Mainframe Studios’ […]
Posted inCentral Iowa Food & Drink
Des Moines meals, sweets and experiences to indulge in this Valentine’s Day
No matter your relationship status or feelings surrounding Valentine’s Day, it’s a convenient excuse to indulge in a fancy meal, cocktail, dessert, or all three. Spend Tuesday, Feb. 14 in good spirits — and out of the waiting area — by supporting local businesses, planning ahead and getting straight to the good stuff. Paint the […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Contact Buzz: Momentum Studio gives artists with disabilities space to create, relax and heal
Momentum. The impetus gained by a moving object. Kelsey Kleinow does not lead a static life — she lives the life of the art studio she runs: Momentum. Her life and her mission are on the move. She and the community she serves intersect in the creative epicenter of Mainframe Studios in downtown Des Moines. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
‘Sex to me is a dance’: Des Moines’ Wendy Broich combines pole dancing, sex coaching and boudoir photography in one small business
Artist, sex coach and entrepreneur Wendy Broich has trouble summarizing her job. “I say ‘experience’ a lot because what I do is provide experiences. It’s hard to just tell someone what I do,” she said. “I feel like I have to take you through it, and in order for me to take you through it, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Black creatives reframe Black stories in Des Moines speaker series at Mainframe Studios
Mainframe Studios and Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ) have teamed up for a four-part speaker series during Black History Month called Reframing Racial Injustice in Creative Communities. They are halfway through the series, and the next speaker — educator, advocate and polymath Abena S. Imhotep — will present on Sunday, Feb. 20 at Mainframe […]
