Highlights from DonorConnect: Artful Impact

Thriving cultural opportunities that are accessible, integrated and enhance the area’s creative vitality was the topic of the most recent DonorConnect event. To help foster a continuously flourishing community, the importance of arts, culture and heritage is a regional priority.

“A healthy cultural ecosystem goes beyond quality of life,” said Sally Dix, President of Bravo Greater Des Moines. “Arts and culture drive the economy, support education and jobs and advance every sector in our region. By providing affordable workspaces and making space for people to experience and engage with artists, Mainframe Studios makes the vibrant creative culture in Des Moines visible and celebrated for all the ways they contribute to the region’s success.” 

President of the Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines Kristi Knous provided insights regarding how these regional priorities are set.  

“As we come together today to be inspired, our community vision plan Capital Crossroads Roadmap includes a cornerstone focused on community and cultural connections that celebrates our separate and shared cultures,” said Knous. “The emphasis is to develop more public spaces, like Mainframe Studios, to not only maximize accessibility but to promote diverse and inclusive access to arts and culture across the community. We certainly have a solid foundation as we move forward with this important work and look forward to fostering a robust cultural sector that continues to contribute to economic growth and learning opportunities for years to come.” 

Julia Franklin, Executive Director of Mainframe Studios, explained how Mainframe operates within those regional priorities and what makes the space so unique to Des Moines, “Mainframe is a space where art and culture converge. It is the largest creative workspace in the nation and is designed to be financially self-sustaining to advance equity and opportunities in the arts.” 

 Many of the nonprofits featured at our event have a longstanding relationship with the Community Foundation. They’ve partnered with us on various initiatives and have been past recipients of grants from both the Community Foundation and our generous donors, enabling them to expand their impact in the community. Thank you to the following nonprofits for partnering with us once again and showcasing the innovation and vitality arts can bring to our community: 

• Community Support Advocates/Momentum Art Studio 

• Des Moines Arts Festival 

• Des Moines Music Coalition 

• Mainframe Studios  

• Oak Studio Teen Tech Center 

Attendees also created their own art and watch the magic happen behind-the-scenes with local artists who call Mainframe home: The Red Door Press and Seso Marentes.

Seso is an Iowa-born artist from Des Moines. His works are a commentary of his life experience being raised as a Mexican-American in Iowa. Attendees utilized iconic carvings created by Seso and had a little fun in helping him create a printed masterpiece by dancing across the carvings.  

 Husband and wife duo, Tammy and Adam Winn, are the owners and operators of The Red Door Press. Their shop is a traditional letterpress print shop with a focus on using handset type and antique printing presses for their work. Attendees got to see how the traditional letterpress works and received one-of-a-kind Better Together cards.