Multimedia ‘heART Show’ Invites the Curious
If you stretch enough Saran Wrap between two pillars, you can paint on it like canvas and illuminate it from behind.
If you cover a wall with 250 green papier-mache hearts, they look almost botanical, like ivy.
And if you practice, you can do all sorts of acrobatic stunts while hanging from bolts of cloth attached the ceiling.
Fortunately, you don’t have to any of that stuff to make it happen. Leave it to the pros at Wooly’s heART Show, set for June 27 in Des Moines’ East Village. A new arts consulting company called Morezarte is curating the multi-media, multi-sensory extravaganza as part of Art Week Des Moines, June 21–28.
Morezarte’s founder, Robert Moore, describes the event as an array of “art tapas, art appetizers or art teasers,” all designed to show off the variety of artistic talent in Des Moines. Besides the Saran Wrap, papier-mache and aerialists, the lineup includes live music, spoken-word poetry, paintings and an augmented-reality installation, which visitors can experience through the high-tech magic of their smartphones.
Moore, 35, founded Morezarte earlier this year as a way to connect audiences and artists more directly. His job as an IT project manager pays the bills, but it’s art that drives his passion.
“Usually I have a Bluetooth in my ear and a paintbrush in my hand,” he said.
He recently installed a sculpture at the Johnston Public Library and has lined up commissions this summer in Fort Dodge for himself and a few other Iowa artists.
“Art’s my thing,” he said. “That’s why I started Morezarte. I thought, there’s got to be a better way — an easier way — for people to get cool artwork.”
And when that happens, he chalks up a success.
“To me, fulfillment is defined by your impact and your happiness,” he said.
Proceeds from the heART Show will be split 50–25–25, respectively, to CultureAll, a tip jar for the event’s participating artists, and a fund for next year’s show.
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Wooly’s heART Show
WHEN: 7–9 p.m. June 27
WHERE: Wooly’s, 504 E. Locust St., Des Moines
TICKETS: Free through June 15. Register online.
Note: Robert Moore participated in the recent Arts Marketing Shark Tank, a professional-development event organized by the Iowa Arts Council and Art Week Des Moines. At the event, three artists pitched their Art Week plans to a panel of media and marketing experts who helped them refine their ideas. The other participants were Erica Abell Holland, who pitched “Three Dish Night,” and Amy Putney Koenig, who pitched an art exhibition called “A Viewing: Art on Death & Reconciliation.”
— Michael Morain, Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
