Pop-up performances and art start Friday
Starting Friday, you’ll be able to play a tune based on water quality, hear an a cappella group on buses, and check out a satellite sculpture that will move around the area.
Bravo Greater Des Moines and its partners will launch the first offerings linked to the area’s cultural assessment, focusing on the “everywhere art” that residents requested. There’s a teaser video.
Watch for these three installations for starters:
— An “unexpected satellite sculpture” that will move around the area. That’s about all we can tell you now, other than one person said it looks something like Sputnik, the Soviet Union’s pioneering satellite.
— Performers on DART buses and at Central Station on a set schedule that will be publicized. That could include spoken word works and poetry, musical performances, caricatures and other art.
— A semipermanent xylophone on a West Des Moines creek with bars cut to coincide with measurements of life and pollution in the creek. “Doesn’t that sound like fun?” Bravo Executive Director Sally Dix asked during an interview.
“We are super excited,” Dix said. “These are pilot programs. People said they want more art in more places. We hope these start conversations and expand public art definitions.”
“The hope is this will set the stage for future installations. We hope we create demand,” Dix added.
Greater Des Moines Partnership CEO Jay Byers said the pop-up offerings are part of the quality of life that leads to workforce development. “A vibrant arts and culture scene is essential for [Greater Des Moines’] ability to attract and retain talent and ensure a high quality of life for residents,” Byers said in a statement. “These pilot projects demonstrate a commitment to supporting creativity and innovation in our region.”
Group Creative Services, led by Teva Dawson and Mat Greiner, managed the rollout.
“By bringing local, national and international artists together with regional partners like Bravo, DART and Drake University, we have tried to offer surprising and delightful experiences that will inspire audiences across the region,” Dawson said in a statement.
The culture assessment came from a nine-member steering committee led by Drake University President Marty Martin.
Bravo, formed in 2004, is a joint venture of nine local governments that provide hotel-motel tax receipts to finance arts, cultural and heritage efforts.
Check out details of the offerings.
Read the full culture assessment.
See our previous coverage.
Discuss on social media using #BravoDSM and #EverywhereArt.