Paintpushers

I got an interesting email this morning:

Dear performing and visual artists:

Your presence is requested at a focus group regarding a downtown Des Moines multi-disciplinary visual and performing arts center on Monday, December 10th from 6-7 p.m. at the Pappajohn Center, 1200 Grand Avenue, downtown Des Moines.

In May 2007, five local arts organizations joined forces to pursue the creation of a non-profit umbrella organization that could develop and manage Des Moines’ first multidisciplinary cultural arts center.  The organizations involved in the creation of Visual & Performing Arts Des Moines (VPArts Des Moines) are The Drama Workshop, the Iowa Motion Picture Association, the East Village Art Coalition, the Des Moines Music Coalition, and Hurley & Dancers.

The facility VPArts seeks to create will be able to nurture the creative spirit of the non-profit arts in Des Moines by helping in the creation and management of several multipurpose rehearsal, exhibition and performance facilities, as well as much needed office space for local arts organizations – all housed in one central location…  The goal of VPArts is not only to help Des Moines artists, but also to create a destination location for art supporters in Des Moines, who would for the first time discover theatre, film, dance, music and visual art housed under one roof…

....Your attendance does not obligate you to any commitment, however you will gain valuable information as to how you can be a part of this unique opportunity… Your attendance will be critical in helping ArtSpace assess the potential for such a facility in Des Moines, as well as to represent the City of Des Moines’ rich artistic offerings…

Any thoughts?

I was searching Google on Friday and found this online review of our exhibition. What a nice surprise! It’s good to know that there are others out there that are interested in our art and also willing to take the time to write about it. You can read the full review here. 

The year is coming to a close, and we’d like to know what you think about our little group. Whether you’re an artist, art collector or art admirer your suggestions can make a difference. What did you think about this year’s show? Did you buy something? If so, was there something specific that closed the deal? If not, did you go with the intent to buy or do you just like to look and/or socialize? What did you think of the location? Would you be more likely to attend an art show if there were live music, a portion of the proceeds donated to charity, some other sort of event going on at the same location? Any and all comments are welcome!