Editor’s note: Our sister publication at Business Publications Corp., dsm Magazine, has been busy reporting on arts and entertainment news as usual. But coronavirus has made arts and entertainment in Des Moines anything but usual. The team has stepped up its coverage to offer new products that show the wide range of the pandemic’s effect on cultural initiatives, while also providing coverage – like food stories – to give us all an outlet of relief. Here’s a look at just one of dsm’s new initiatives. See all their work at dsmmagazine.com. 

Without full dining rooms, foot traffic or events, Greater Des Moines’ cultural and dining industries have had to innovate to survive and thrive.

To capture these stories of creativity and innovation, dsm Magazine launched CultureCast podcasts in late March. Through quick-hit, weekly interviews with community leaders, we share how these organizations and businesses are informing and engaging their audiences during the COVID-19 crisis.

We invite you to listen in and subscribe to our feeds at Apple Podcast, Google Play Music, Spotify and more. Just search for dsm magazine or dsm CultureCast.

In the meantime, here are a few highlights of what we’ve learned so far:

Des Moines Art Center: Jordan Powers, the Art Center’s director of marketing and public relations, and Jason Gross, director of innovation at EMC Insurance Cos. and an Art Center board trustee, gave us a behind-the-scenes look at how the Art Center’s virtual gallery tours, which were launched in late March, came together.

The idea for the project wasn’t new, but with the closure of the Art Center, it immediately took priority. Through technology suggested by Gross, the team developed the virtual tours of the museum’s permanent collections and special exhibitions in just 10 days.

“One of our missions is to provide transformative art experiences for all, and the opportunity to do that with the virtual tours is, frankly, a dream of mine and a dream of the Art Center,” Powers said on the podcast.
You’ll discover a few hidden secrets as well. If you look closely at one of them, you can see Art Center Director Jeff Fleming standing on-screen. At another hard-to-find angle, Powers and Gross make an appearance.

Blank Park Zoo:  Let’s be honest, animals provide some of the best sources of inspiration at any time. Blank Park Zoo has stepped up its efforts to provide online content through livestreams, photos and videos. And because school closures made learning at home a priority, the zoo also has hosted educational sessions with team members and various critters.

One of the fan-favorite photos showed a bantam chicken named Henrietta meeting a harbor seal named Monty while roaming the zoo grounds.
“We hope we’re being used on a daily basis by those who are home-schooling their children,” CEO Mark Vukovich said. “We hope that depending how long the shutdown is for the zoo, we keep … people engaged with what we’re doing and our mission.” 

Des Moines Metro Opera:  While Des Moines Metro Opera decided to cancel its 2020 Summer Festival, it quickly pivoted to announce its 2020 Virtual Festival. Through a partnership with Iowa PBS, the company will present recent opera productions, artist recitals, cast reunions, interviews and more.

Perhaps the most exciting part is that more people will be exposed to world-class operas, including “Billy Budd” and “Rusalka,” General and Artistic Director Michael Egel said. Anyone can watch these productions online or on the Iowa PBS channel.

“I’m excited that a huge audience will be able to see these performances,” he said. “I always watch them on television when they come out, and all of us who are involved wish that more people could see these. … Previously, we had to say, ‘Unless you’re in Iowa and watch Iowa Public Television, you can’t see it.’ Now we can go back to those broader audiences and say, ‘Here’s your chance to see it.’”