Bravo Greater Des Moines announced Monday its annual Bravo Awards Gala honorees. The two Bravo-funded organizations receiving the 2026 Spotlight Awards are Living History Farms and Mainframe Studios. Christine Hensley will receive the 2026 Bravo Award, which recognizes the positive impact of an individual, family or foundation’s commitment to arts, culture and heritage in Greater Des Moines.

According to a news release, Bravo added the Spotlight Award in 2020 to highlight the work of Bravo’s 80-plus cultural partners. This year’s honorees were selected because of their community impact, recent success and proven ability to adapt and innovate through change, the release said.

Living History Farms, Iowa’s largest outdoor history museum, has strategically grown in recent years, adding staff, expanding programming and renovating facilities to enhance agricultural education and youth engagement. Last spring, the organization opened the new Kemin Cultivation Center, increasing the museum’s capacity and allowing for more year-round programming like field trips and other youth programs.

Mainframe Studios, the nation’s largest nonprofit creative workspace, was founded to meet demand for permanent, affordable workspace for artists. Since 2023, when final renovations were completed and all floors opened, Mainframe Studios has grown to 98.8% capacity and has introduced practices that aim to make the space a “thriving community center,” the release said. It now supports over 220 artists and through public events like First Friday and regular open hours, the space sees more than 176,000 visitors annually.

Hensley is a longtime civic leader whose public service and advocacy for arts and culture have shaped major community projects. 

Her involvement includes helping raise $9 million for the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden campaign, “Welcome, Gather, Grow,” working with John Pappajohn to raise funds for the Sculpture Park, and serving as co-chair for the Lauridsen Skatepark and Meals on Wheels campaigns.

She also sat on the Bravo board of directors representing the city of Des Moines while serving on the city council and served as the first government partner-representative board chair.

“Chris has been a decades-long champion for quality of life in Des Moines and has always served as a critical bridge between the public and private sectors. She understands complex issues and is always willing to dig in and do the work with a ‘can-do’ attitude that blends purpose, partnership and passion,” Bravo President Sally Dix said in the release.

The honorees will be recognized at the 2026 Bravo Awards Gala on Feb. 7 at the EMC Expo Center. To view all past Bravo award winners or get tickets to the gala, visit bravogreaterdesmoines.org.