Creative Kid's Zone: 2008
The Des Moines Arts Festival is proud to present the Bank of America Creative Kid's Zone. The Bank of America Creative Kid's Zone features numerous interactive arts activities including the GuideOne Insurance Interactive Mural. Check back here for a complete listing of arts activities at the 2008 Des Moines Arts Festival.

Interactive Mural
Join GuideOne Insurance and the Des Moines Art Center as the Festival creates two more billboard-sized interactive murals featuring The Hour of Tea by Frederick Carl Frieseke and Autumn, New Hampshire by Maurice Prendergast. Thousands of people will contribute their personal touch to recreating these masterpieces of modern art! Participants will transfer their own interpretation of a section of these works of art onto a canvas that will be installed into a billboard-sized frame. Guests can watch these giant murals come together, literally piece-by-piece, over the course of the three days of the Festival.

Public Art Project
Kemin Industries and Nathan Weeks Middle School are partnering with the Des Moines Arts Festival to create and produce a science-related public art project to be completed by guests of the Festival. The art piece is a project of the eighth-grade students at Weeks Middle School and when completed will be installed on the grounds of the school. The three-month project began when Dr. Chris Nelson, Kemin Worldwide President, and Kemin Health scientist Sheila Dana visited Weeks for a presentation and lesson on FloraGLO® brand lutein. Following the lesson, the students conceptualized the art project with the assistance of artist STRETCH, with the goal of creating a visual, artistic representation of lutein. The base structure will be transported to the Festival where guests will participate in completing the project through an interactive art activity. The final masterpiece will be installed at Weeks Middle School, and unveiled to students at a ceremony when the school year resumes in the fall of 2008.

Animal Buttons

Make animal buttons with Living History Farms.

 

Animal Crafts          

Create cat, rabbit, and dog masks, make rainbow fish, learn how to draw a dog and make fish nametags with the Animal Rescue League of Iowa.

 

Award Ribbons                   

Make your own award ribbon with the help of Special Olympics Iowa.

 

Beach Suncatcher Head Bobbers         
Have some fun with the sun by decorating suncatcher head bands with Mentor Iowa. 

Bird Bracelets         
String beads on pipe cleaners to represent the different color patterns of birds with Polk County Conservation. 

Christmas Trees     

Weave paper to create spiral Christmas trees to celebrate Jolly Holiday Lights.

Dream and Draw    

Create an out of this world piece of art work with the Science Center of Iowa.

 

Egg Shakers

Turn Easter eggs into a musical instrument with Des Moines Symphony Academy.

 

Foam Memory Book           

Create foam memory books and decorate with favorite memories with Hospice of Central Iowa.

 

Friendship Bracelets         

Create colorful bracelets with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Iowa.

 

Frog Pouch  

Make a frog pouch out of paper plates with the Blank Park Zoo.

 

Instrument Petting Zoo    

People of all ages can try playing a variety of instruments with the guidance of volunteers from Des Moines Symphony Academy.

 

Maracas       

Decorate paper plates and fill them with soybeans and corn to create your own musical instrument with Des Moines Park and Recreation.

 

Paper Flowers
Make tissue paper flowers with Metro Arts Alliance.

 

Plant a Seed

Decorate a cup and plant a seed you can take home and watch grow with Greater East Side Development.

 

Puzzle

Assemble puzzles featuring images of Terrace Hill and Salisbury House.

 

Reggie’s Sleepout Box                  

Decorate a box expressing homelessness awareness to be displayed at Reggie’s Sleepout event with Iowa Homeless Youth Centers.

 

Safety Belts

Write traffic safety messages or slogans on a giant fabric safety belt with the Iowa Department of Public Safety - Iowa Governor's Traffic Safety Bureau.

 

Skating Scenes       

Cool down with the Brenton Skating Plaza and decorate paper ice skates and zambonis.

 

Spin Art        

Color giant spin art with the Iowa State Fair Blue Ribbon Foundation.

 

Spray Paint 

Make paintings with sprayable paint with The Downtown Church.

 

Sponsor Booth Activities

Prairie Meadows
Stop by the Prairie Meadows tent to create spin art and glitter horseshoes.

Principal Financial Group®
Get the edge on origami by creating a Principal Financial Group® origami hat. Fold and decorate to wear around the Festival!

Bank of the West
Stop here to get a neat design from a face painter, and a photographer will take pictures that you can retrieve on-line.

 

Star 102.5
STAR 102.5 will help keep families safe and together at the Des Moines Arts Festival, so stop by the STAR booth to get your Allied KidFind bracelet

 

Iowa Public Radio
Visit the Iowa Public Radio tent for kids’ activities including communal art paintings, a duck pond game, balloons, temporary tattoos, giveaways and more!

 

U.S. Cellular
U.S. Cellular^® is excited to bring “The Call is Yours” Tour to the Des Moines Arts Festival. Visitors will have the chance to demonstrate their skillz and compete for prizes in two competitive gaming stations: Name that tune, a battle royal of music lovers and Speed Text, a race against other texters. Visitors will also have the opportunity to get their picture taken and printed with Bluetooth technology completely free of charge AND be entered to win a trip to one of four popular vacation destinations. Stop by and see us near the U.S. Cellular Stage.

 

Greater Des Moines Partnership
Get into the hunt! Join the Greater Des Moines Partnership in a texting treasure hunt for a chance to win $1,000. Look for the bright green signs for your texting clues. If you follow and complete all of the clues you just might win! It’s so easy your kids could do it!

Mercedes-Benz of Des Moines
Enter the Mercedes-Benz sweepstakes while perusing the all-new Mercedes-Benz vehicles. 

Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines
Be sure to stop by the Mercy tent where they are Perfecting the Art of Health Care to learn more about health and wellness from various Mercy departments. On Saturday, participate in a fun coloring activity and do a coffee filter butterfly project.

 

GEICO
The GEICO booth provides a fun place to visit where people can meet the Gecko, enter to win a $500 gas card and take home a little prize. Stop by and 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance.

 

Qwest^®
Event guests, there’s something fun for everyone at the Qwest^® tent. Stop by and win one of thousands of prizes—every game card is an instant winner! Plus, be the star of your own video e-greeting. It’s easy and fun, and you can e-mail your finished greeting to friends from right inside the tent. All that—and lots more fun—only at the Qwest tent. See you there! No purchase necessary. See complete rules at the Qwest tent.

Iowa State University College of Design
Visit Hands-on Design: Celebrating Our Design Community, a family art activity to help mark the 30th anniversary of the College of Design at Iowa State University in 2008-09. Visitors of all ages can draw the outline of their hands then use markers and found materials to decorate the piece to reflect their own personality and creativity.