Mainframe Studios

09/02/2026

Join us this First Friday September 4th, from 5-8pm for Fashion Forward!

Explore five floors of open artist studios, discover new exhibitions, enjoy live music, interactive art activities, local food and drinks, and experience one of Des Moines' favorite monthly arts events.

Featured this month is FASHION FORWARD, juried by Nekia Whitfield of Nik Star Designs - a dynamic exhibition celebrating fashion as a form of creative expression. Discover garments, wearable art, textiles, photography, illustration, video, and costume design, all showcasing exceptional craftsmanship, bold ideas, and personal storytelling.

In addition to the main exhibition, the 3rd floor gallery will feature OuterlandIA, a special group showcase by artists and makers from Lucas County, IA. DJ Simona Taz Lewis will be in the Big Room from 5-8pm.

Guests can explore hundreds of open artist studios and participate in a free interactive art activity with Upstitch'd.

Make it a night to express your own style, too! We encourage guests to come dressed in their favorite look, boldest outfit, or signature style as we celebrate creativity through fashion.

You can grab a bite to eat, or drink from:
- Tamales
-The Tangerine Food Company
- Delights
-Lyela’s Kitchen
-SaffyCo
-Not Your Average Bar

Expanded overflow parking at 8th & Center St. and a complimentary shuttle make getting here easy!

First Friday events at Mainframe Studios are family-friendly, free, and open to the public.

09/01/2026

Check out a sneak preview! We are so excited to see you this Friday, September 4 for Fashion Forward!

Juried by Nekia Whitfield of Nik Star Designs, Fashion Forward features dynamic works celebrating fashion as a form of creative expression. Discover garments, wearable art, textiles, photography, illustration, video, and costume design, all showcasing exceptional craftsmanship, bold ideas, and personal storytelling.

Adhel 1 - Trinity LaKose
Made in - Branscom Chavaque
Sam's Jewelery Dress on Dress Form - Alyssa Leicht
Ozmopolitan - Patrick Lose
Olubugo in Motion: Barkcloth as Living Fashion - Sarah Ndagire
Crystal Cave Crochet Bodice - Lauren Hansen
Razorkin Needlehead - Kate Tracy
Fantacism Abstract Tie: Garden & Galaxy - Alex Wang

Make it a night to express your own style, too! We encourage guests to come dressed in their favorite look, boldest outfit, or signature style as we celebrate creativity through fashion.

First Friday // Fashion Forward
September 4, 5-8pm
900 Keo Way
Des Moines, IA 50309

First Friday events at Mainframe Studios are family-friendly, free, and open to the public.

Expanded overflow parking at 8th & Center St. and a complimentary shuttle makes getting here easy!

08/31/2026

Show us YOUR fashion this First Friday!

Fashion Forward juried by Nekia Whitfield of Nik Star Designs, is a dynamic exhibition celebrating fashion as a form of creative expression. Discover garments, wearable art, textiles, photography, illustration, video, and costume design, all showcasing exceptional craftsmanship, bold ideas, and personal storytelling.

Make it a night to express your own style! We encourage guests to come dressed in their favorite look, boldest outfit, or signature style as we celebrate creativity through fashion.

See you this Friday, September 4 from 5-8pm!

Designs from Rylee Smith, Nekia Whitfield, & First Friday Attendees

Photos by Richard Alvarenga, Christopher Maharry, & more

08/28/2026

Congratulations to all the artists who participated in Experimental & Innovative.

Juror Amenda Tate had the opportunity to recognize standout works that exemplified creativity and craft, while our community also shared their voices by voting in the People’s Choice Award. Congratulations to all of our recipients! Amenda Tate, Artist

Through bold ideas, unconventional materials, and inventive processes, the featured works push creative boundaries and explore new ways of seeing and making.

Best of Show: Kelly Devitt, Excess
First Place: James White, History Lesson
Second Place: Trey Reis, Sky Scrapers
Third Place: Rachel Goebel, Imperfectly Held
People's Choice: Virgina Melnyk - Organe Triangles

08/26/2026

Introducing Mini Art Vending Machines in Downtown Des Moines!
Art is popping up all over Downtown Des Moines and you can collect it all, one piece at a time!

Mainframe Studios and Operation Downtown, in partnership with the Greater Des Moines Partnership, proudly present an exciting new public art initiative bringing curated mini art vending machines to locations throughout downtown.

Each machine is filled with original, handmade artwork by artists of Mainframe Studios. We invite you to explore the city, discover new work, and start your own collection. Then visit the artists and tour open studios during an upcoming First Friday event!

Fresh artwork will be added throughout the project, so there’s always something new to find and collect!

Vending Machine Locations
-Local Bites // 700 Locust Street
-Black Cat Ice Cream // 1301 Locust St Ste D
-Raygun // 505 E Grand Ave
-Wellmark YMCA // 501 Grand Ave
-Mainframe Studios // 900 Keoway

Check out our website to learn more and find the works included in the machines. Tag us when you get a piece!

08/17/2026

08/13/2026

OPEN CALL FOR ART!

Mainframe Studios is proud to present WE ANSWER TO EACH OTHER. Juried by: Abena Sankofa Imhotep - Author and Dr. Negus Rudison-Imhotep.

Celebrating Black artistic practice as an evolving conversation across the African diaspora, We Answer to Each Other seeks work that explores cultural inheritance, identity, community, migration, spirituality, liberation, and political imagination.

Welcoming diverse perspectives rooted in both lived experience and creative vision, the exhibition highlights the many ways Black artists preserve history, shape culture, and imagine new futures - from joy and ritual to resistance and resilience.

Submissions Due: September 20th at 11:59pm

You can apply on our website or through the link in our bio.

08/11/2026

First Friday at Mainframe Studios Featuring FASHION FORWARD, juried by: Nekia Whitfield (Nik Star Designs)

Join us at Mainframe Studios' First Friday on Friday, September 4th, from 5-8pm! Explore five floors of open artist studios, discover new exhibitions, enjoy live music, interactive art activities, local food and drinks, and experience one of Des Moines' favorite monthly arts events.

Featured this month is FASHION FORWARD, juried by Nekia Whitfield of Nik Star Designs. Fashion Forward is a dynamic exhibition celebrating fashion as a form of creative expression. Discover garments, wearable art, textiles, photography, illustration, video, costume design, and more all showcasing exceptional craftsmanship, bold ideas, and personal storytelling.

Make it a night to express your own style, too! We encourage guests to come dressed in their favorite look, boldest outfit, or signature style as we celebrate creativity through fashion.

In addition to the main exhibition, guests can explore hundreds of open artist studios, view a special group showcase by artists from Lucas County, and participate in a free interactive art activity with Upstich'd.

Expanded overflow parking at 8th & Center St. and a complimentary shuttle make getting here easy!

First Friday events at Mainframe Studios are family-friendly, free, and open to the public.

Poster design by Jami Milne.

08/10/2026

OPEN CALL: Mainframe Studios is proud to present STEAM juried by Emmett Phillips Jr., a special exhibition exploring the intersection of Art with STEM fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.

This exhibition seeks to highlight work that demonstrates how art can complement, interpret, and expand our understanding of science and technology. Work may illustrate research, humanize complex concepts, explore emerging technologies, or investigate the connections between creative practice and scientific inquiry.

Open to all disciplines and mediums that meaningfully engage with the theme.

Submissions Due: Sunday, September 6th at 11:59pm.

You can find the application on our website and through the link!
https://form.jotform.com/262095509927164

STEAM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics used to describe and promote collaborations within the humanities and sciences and interdisciplinary work.

08/05/2026

This summer, Mainframe Studios commissioned a mural through an open call for artists to help connect our colorful exterior with our interior atrium. Designed to welcome visitors the mural offers a glimpse of the creativity that lies within our building. Maddy beautifully illustrates the
creative energy flowing from floor to floor within our studio community.

Inspired by the spooky & whimsical minutiae of nature, Maddy utilizes detailed line work, bright colors & repetitive patterns in her work. She paints murals, designs tattoos, draws album covers, creates paintings & sells art at markets & shows.

"This mural transforms the atrium into a surreal landscape where different creative practices merge into one environment. References to music, printmaking, painting, glass, photography and other artistic processes are all a part of an atmosphere that grows from the collaboration, experimentation and community that make Mainframe such a unique place! The design invites viewers to look closely and find connections between the many forms of creativity that exist within Mainframe."

We had so much fun watching the mural come life each day. Thank you Maddy for your creative vision and hard work!

Read about Maddy's vision for the mural, her creative process, and her experience with murals! You can check out the full piece through the link in our bio.

You can also check out the mural in person at First Friday, or during our public building hours; Tues-Sat from 10am-4pm.