Joseph Giunta leads the Des Moines Symphony through its 86th season finale this weekend. (Photo: DMSO) How do you breathe new life into a 200-year-old masterpiece? Start with a lot of lungs. More than 100 local voices, including the Des Moines Vocal Arts Ensemble, will join the Des Moines Symphony to revive Beethoven’s groundbreaking Ninth Symphony on its 200th anniversary. (At the end of its premiere, in Vienna, the audience waved their hats and handkerchiefs in the air so Beethoven could see, if not hear, their five standing ovations. By then he’d lost most of his hearing.) The Ninth, w ..read more

Cake, ravioli and lamb chops starred in chef Saralyn Smith’s farm-to-table dinner Tuesday night at the Wallace House. (Photo: Michael Morain) By Michael Morain Let’s start with dessert: a slice of vanilla chiffon cake topped with a swirl of pink rhubarb mousse. Could anything taste more like spring? The cake capped off a farm-to-table dinner Tuesday night at the Wallace House in Sherman Hill, where the new chef, Saralyn Smith, had a chance to introduce — through brief remarks and five thoughtful seasonal courses, including ricotta ravioli with spring veggies, chicken in a berry prosecco sauce ..read more

Running of the bols: Participants pull parachute-like kites (bols) in a race to the finish line. (Photo: City of Johnston) This Saturday, the city of Johnston will host its 11th annual Kites on the Green festival. The family-friendly event includes inflatable obstacle courses, a candy drop, tours of the 1902 Simpson House Museum and, of course, kites. You’ll see flying kites, racing kites and giant kites in a sky-high show. You can even make a kite of your own. Along the way, kite fans can break for lunch or a sweet treat from six food trucks and enjoy live music. Local performers w ..read more

On the cover: The sky’s the limit for photographer Duane Tinkey, who crouched low to the ground to capture a rare view of “Liftoff,” Alice Aycock’s swirling sculpture at the Des Moines airport. The Greater Des Moines Public Art Foundation installed it in 2021 and dedicated it in part as a memorial to Johnny Danos, the visionary community leader who died in 2018. Read the May/June issue here ..read more

Deep Dive Few people on earth have spent more time underwater or seen more marine marvels than the award-winning photographer Cristina Mittermeier, who takes a turn in Des Moines Performing Arts’ Explorer Series on May 13 at the Des Moines Civic Center. She grew up in a landlocked city in central Mexico but has spent most of her life on (and under) the high seas. With degrees in both fine art photography and biochemical engineering, she founded the International League of Conservation Photographers and has used her camera to educate, advocate and inspire. She was named a National Geographic Ad ..read more

Writer: Madeline Cisneros Photos: Duane Tinkey Craig Miller started making rugs during the pandemic, when he was locked up at home like the rest of us. But these are no ordinary rugs. They’re handmade pieces of art that he “paints” with fiber in his creative space at Mainframe Studios. He often portrays ordinary objects and gives them a funny twist, like a fish with a ball cap or an apple with a frown. “A lot of my work is about everyday stuff,” he said. “I’ve been getting more into making coffee at home. I think it’s amazing when people can do latte art with, literally, liquid. So I thought ..read more

“Antiques Roadshow,” June 10, Living History Farms Des Moines Choral SocietyMay 4. The choir caps off its season with a masterworks concert at St. Ambrose Cathedral. dmchoral.org Napoleon DouglasMay 4. The local singer anchors two nights at Noce in May, first with Broadway tunes and then with the Nate Sparks Big Band on May 25. nocedsm.com Safe Space PromMay 4. LGBTQ+ students from local high schools can dance up a storm at the Des Moines Art Center, which is co-hosting the party with the Queer Youth Resource Center. desmoinesartcenter.org Alyssa AllgoodMay 10. The jazz singer and bandleader s ..read more

Mother-of-pearl shells from the Des Moines River inspired the iridescent surface of “Hello, River,” shown in the rendering on the right. Photo: Plus/And Writer: Brianne Sanchez A shimmery sculptural landmark set to debut in downtown Des Moines in mid-June is designed to catch eyes and capture hearts. The creative duo behind “Hello, River” hopes its head-turning public art piece will serve as the catalyst for a conservation-oriented meet-cute. “We want to help people fall in love with the river,” said artist Amanda Lovelee, who designed the sculpture with Emily Stover, her partner in a Twin Cit ..read more

Writer: Madeline Cisneros Sometimes it helps to have a snappy title. This year’s Iowa Farm to Summer Campaign is called “Snap for Snap Peas!” — after “Root for Radishes!” last year and “Let Us Eat Lettuce!” in 2022. “Students who participate in the campaign have fun learning about agriculture, food production and healthy eating habits while also developing connections with area farmers,” said Mike Naig, secretary of the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. In 2018, the department received a $100,000 grant for its general Farm to School program, which includes the Iowa Farm to S ..read more

Writer: Mathany Ahmed Photos: Duane Tinkey Loretta Terrell envisions a world where more Black women are CEOs. Or owners. Or founders or moguls or any other titans of industry they can imagine. This entrepreneurial spirit is one she shares with many of her peers. Black women are the fastest-growing group of business owners, according to a 2023 report from GoDaddy’s Venture Forward research initiative. Author and festival exhibitor Glo Rose Even so, Terrell couldn’t help but notice the systemic barriers that kept her dream from becoming a reality. A Wells Fargo analysis of women-owned businesses ..read more