Posted August 06, 2025in Art News
Des Moines supported the arts in record numbers this July, and not just for free stuff like Fourth of July Pops and various street festivals. We came about a new civic pride watching Des Moines Metro Opera (DMMO) and Des Moines Community Playhouse (DMCP) productions in completely full houses the
Read More →
Posted July 02, 2025in Art News
The late Des Moines artist Don Dunagan liked to say, “Artists are somewhat cool, but art thieves get the hot girls.” He had a point. I asked my Internet Movie Database (IMDb) app how many movies have been made about artists, and it returned 75. The same question about art
Read More →
Posted June 04, 2025in Art News
One hundred years ago, Elsa Neumann, Gertrude Shloss and Elizabeth Cowles — the original grand dames of Des Moines culture — created Civic Music Association of Des Moines (CMADM) and were determined to convince the world’s best musicians to perform in the city. By sheer force of their personalities, and
Read More →
Posted April 30, 2025in Art News
“I’m about to give you all of my money, And all I’m askin’ in return, honey Is to give me my propers” – Aretha Franklin Des Moines gets little respect from some popular touring artists. Last summer, Lil Wayne stood up is Wells Fargo Arena audience for more than three
Read More →
Posted April 02, 2025in Art News
The world edged a little closer to discovering what art is, thanks to the German court system. At least, Germany’s Federal Court of Justice determined what art isn’t — that being Birkenstock sandals. The German company that makes those, which goes back to 1774, filed a lawsuit against three competitors
Read More →
Posted March 05, 2025in Art News
This year got off to a slow start for art markets. Christie’s Old Masters sale, considered a bellwether for art markets in general, produced better numbers than last year but not much better. Lawyers were blamed. The would-be star of the sale, El Greco’s “Saint Sebastian,” was estimated by Christie’s to
Read More →
Posted February 05, 2025in Art News
This month’s art news is filled with dreams, confusions and deceptions with lawyers going to court to argue that fake art is the same as the real thing it imitates. Is all art now trompe l’oeil? Exhibit one: Sally Mann has been arguably America’s most famous photographer since her “At
Read More →
Posted January 01, 2025in Art News
Jeff Fleming will kick off the 2025 cultural year in Des Moines Jan. 10 with an exhibition of all new works based on old family photos. Fleming paints ghosts and retrieved memories in gesso, India ink, white charcoal and pencil. He calls these canvasses “chalkboards,” meaning they have been used
Read More →
Posted December 04, 2024in Art News
Jim Duncan will further reckon the year in Des Moines arts in his The Daily Umbrella column the last two weeks of the year. It’s free to subscribe, and no other medium covers the food and arts scene to the DU’s extent. www.thedailyumbrella.com 2024 was a transitional year for Des Moines’
Read More →
Posted November 06, 2024in Art News
Two of the art world’s hottest commodities this autumn have Des Moines stints on their schedules. Both are testimony to a radar for genius at two local institutions — Hoyt Sherman Place and Des Moines Art Center (DMAC). Samara Joy appeared at Hoyt Sherman this summer. She seemed genuinely impressed
Read More →
