The purpose of this website is to gauge interest and garner support from local artists and arts organizations for a non-profit 501(c)3 to redevelop one or more buildings downtown into permanent affordable space for the local arts (the “Project”). Please take a moment to read through the website, register here to show your support, and let us know if you have any questions or comments.
Your registration is important. The number of people who register will help prove to fundraisers that there is demand in the local arts community for this project.
The Des Moines Art Center, the Des Moines Arts Festival, and the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park are significant attractions that have put Des Moines on the “arts map.” Now it’s time to turn our attention to promoting local arts. With over 1.5 million square feet of vacant commercial space downtown, Des Moines has a unique opportunity to convert one or more of these buildings into non-profit permanent affordable space for the local arts – including space for the Des Moines Social Club, non-residential work space for artist studios, arts-related non-profit office space, galleries and exhibition space, classrooms, a theater, specialty arts spaces and more – that can serve as a catalyst for sustainable redevelopment of obsolete buildings downtown. Community leaders support the concept and are waiting to see if this is something artists and arts organizations will utilize.
Our goal is simple – to create permanent affordable space for the local arts.
Guiding Principles
Several downtown buildings otherwise considered “obsolete” present themselves as viable candidates for having a new life as a permanent center for the local arts. The guiding principles for the Project are:
- Create permanent affordable space for the local arts, with rents well below market rates, in a venue that will become a Des Moines cultural institution that can stand the test of time
- Accommodate a wide variety of uses, including space for the Des Moines Social Club, non-residential work space for artist studios, arts-related non-profit office space, galleries and exhibition space, classrooms, a theater, specialty arts spaces and more
- Design the space to accommodate artists of all disciplines, including painters, sculptors, photographers, videographers, writers, woodworkers, dancers, actors, musicians and more
- Appeal to independent artists and arts organizations by involving them in the planning process, providing a solution to their space requirements and promoting a collaborative work environment
- Identify properties that are well-located, easily accessible by downtown foot traffic and close to parking
- Provide the public with easy access to the local arts through conveniently located gallery, exhibition, performance and classroom space, monthly open studio events and other public outreach programs created by artists and arts-related non-profit groups
- Renovate the building(s) with the goal of achieving LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design) certification, which will help keep operating expenses low and will serve a model for sustainable downtown redevelopment
Project Benefits
Creating permanent affordable space for the local arts has clear benefits to artists and arts organizations. The Project will generate a strong sense of community where artists and arts organizations can thrive through interactions with each other. It will also provide a unique location where artists and arts organizations can exhibit and market their work to the public, helping them to become more widely known and generate income. But the Project also has benefits for the broader public:
- Enriches our community’s cultural environment by establishing a permanent center for the local arts, engaging people with art and making it easily accessible
- Strengthens Des Moines’s growing national reputation as a city known for its support of the arts
- Transforms the local arts scene into an economic driver by revitalizing an area downtown currently occupied by obsolete building(s), creating a major draw to downtown for relocation of businesses and professionals, reducing vacant space in the market, serving as model for historic preservation and a catalyst for sustainable redevelopment of the downtown core
- Establishes another significant cultural icon in Des Moines that benefits residents within the metro area and central Iowa and becomes an attraction for visitors to Des Moines
Funding
The Project will utilize a variety of funding sources including individual and corporate donations, tax credits, government grants and non-profit foundation grants to fund initial capital improvements and create reserve and endowment funds to ensure permanent financial stability.
The operating budget for the Project is intended to be self-sustaining, where despite having below market rents, the revenue (rent) covers the operating expenses and adds to a reserve fund to help maintain the building in the years to come. By funding the capital improvements upfront and creating an energy efficient building, we anticipate annual rents will be approximately $7.00 per square foot plus utilities.
With careful planning and collaboration from all parties, this project can meet the goals of the arts community, the City and the public. We welcome your comments.
