Celebrating the he(art) of our community with publicly-curated exhibition

Posted on Wednesday, September 2, 2015

For Immediate Release
Contact: Barbara Briggie-Smith
Tel: 515.271.0343
Email: bbsmith@desmoinesartcenter.org

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Des Moines Art Center celebrates the he(art) of our community with publicly-curated exhibition and gala

DES MOINES, IOWA (September 2015) – On Thursday, September 17, the Art Center will open the publicly-curated exhibition, It’s Your Choice, with a free community celebration. In partnership with The Des Moines Register earlier this year, the public was invited to vote on their favorite artworks, chosen from 150 rarely seen pieces in the museum’s permanent collection. Thirty-seven of the top selections will be on view through December 13, 2015; the top selection, which received 7,000 votes, is Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s Paysage (Landscape), 1902, (reproduced below). The aim of this project is to heighten awareness, foster participation, and grow public ownership of the Art Center’s world-class collections.

Above:
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (French, 1841-1919)
Paysage (Landscape), ca.1902
Oil on canvas
13 1/4 x 16 5/8 inches
Des Moines Art Center; Mildred M. Bohen Collection, 1981.64
Photo Credit: Rich Sanders, Des Moines

Related Programs

Community Celebration Opening
Thursday, September 17 / 5 – 7 pm / Remarks by Director Jeff Fleming / 6 pm
Art Center lobby and Blank One and Two Galleries
Music, cash bar, complimentary light-bites / *RSVP

Gallery Talk
Thursday, November 5 / 6:30 pm / Blank One and Two Galleries / *Reservations required
Director Jeff Fleming will lead an informal discussion of the exhibition. 

Gala

On Saturday evening, September 19, the Des Moines Art Center will hold its 2015 gala in the newly renovated atrium at Capital Square. Celebrating the he(art) of our community will showcase the Art Center’s many community outreach programs, membership affiliate groups, and uniquely rewarding city-wide partnerships. All funds raised will support the Art Center's outreach, education, and free admission programs.

This year’s gala entertainment will feature the charming and talented Brazilian 2wins during the cocktail hour and the high energy Final Mix Band with Del “Saxman” Jones for after-dinner dancing. If the weather cooperates, the cocktail party will be held under the stars on the remodeled Cowles Commons.

Schedule:

7 pm – Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres
Cowles Commons
Entertainment by the Brazilian 2wins

8 pm - Dinner
Capital Square Atrium
Featuring delectable delights by Catering DSM

Dancing to the high energy sounds of Final Mix, with Del “Saxman” Jones

Black tie optional

Ticket Prices

Individual: $250
Young Professional (35 or younger): $125

Tickets can be purchased online at desmoinesartcenter.org by clicking on EVENT RESERVATIONS on the homepage, in the Museum Shop, or by contacting Director of Events Debra J. Kurtz at dkurtz@desmoineartcenter.org or 515.271.0336. 

About the Des Moines Art Center

Recognized by international art critics as a world-class museum in the heart of the Midwest, the Des Moines Art Center has amassed an important collection with a major emphasis on contemporary art. The collection’s overriding principle is a representation of artists from the 19th century to the present, each through a seminal work. This accounts for an impressive collection that ranges from Edward Hopper’s Automat to Jasper Johns’ Tennyson, Henri Matisse’s Woman in White, Georgia O’Keeffe’s From the Lake No. 1, Francis Bacon’s Study after Velásquez’s Portrait of Pope Innocent X, Bill Viola’s Ascension, and Cecily Brown’s Half-Bind.

The Art Center’s physical complex marries with the collection for a totally integrated experience. The collection is housed in three major buildings, each designed by a world-renowned architect – Eliel Saarinen, I. M. Pei, and Richard Meier. With the exception of special events, admission to the museum is free.

In September 2009, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park opened in Des Moines’ Western Gateway Park. Philanthropists John and Mary Pappajohn have provided funding for and donated 28 sculptures by internationally acclaimed contemporary artists to the Des Moines Art Center. The collection of sculptures by such artists as Louise Bourgeois, Deborah Butterfield, Willem de Kooning, Olafur Eliasson, Keith Haring, Ellsworth Kelly, Jaume Plensa, Richard Serra, Joel Shapiro, and Mark di Suvero, is the most significant donation of artwork to the Art Center in a single gift in the museum’s history. The Pappajohn Sculpture Park was created in collaboration with the Pappajohns, the City of Des Moines, the Des Moines Art Center, and numerous corporate and private donors.

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