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SKYWALK SELFIE SPOTS

For DSM Residents, Workers and Visitors
In the skywalk at Fourth Street and Grand Avenue Parking Garage, and 500 Grand Avenue, Downtown DSM
Admission: Free and Open to the Public

skywalk art

Operation Downtown and the Greater Des Moines Partnership collaborated with local artists Jordan Brooks, Laura Palmer and Chris Sullivan to create selfie spots in the Downtown Des Moines (DSM) skywalks. Brooks’ piece, “I Heart DSM,” is located at the Fourth Street and Grand Avenue garage entrance, in partnership with the City of Des Moines. Palmer’s piece is a celebration of sports and Downtown DSM that includes renderings of iconic locations such as the Iowa State Capitol dome and The Travelers umbrella. It is located at 500 Grand Avenue in the ARAG Building in partnership with Lawmark Capital. The art pieces provide perfect selfie backdrops for residents, workers and visitors to Downtown DSM as they use the skywalk system for major events such as March Madness and to explore Downtown DSM for work or fun.

Brooks is a creator and educator. His primary mediums are performance art, pen and ink, and painting both digitally and traditionally. Guided by the affirmation, “See yourself, know yourself, be yourself,” Brooks’ creative practice seeks to understand self in relation to the social and physical world. Brooks created KNWSLF (Know Self) to bring his passion for creativity, community and culture together. KNWSLF stands for KNowledge, Wisdom, Self Love, and Fellowship. Through all forms of creativity, he explores these four concepts in hopes to better know self.

A lifelong Iowan who values the U.S. Postal Service and a thoughtfully handwritten note, Palmer started XO-LP in 2009 producing whimsical illustrations made with markers and wit. She went from full-time fundraiser to full-time illustrator in 2014, a dream she’d had since creating her first hand-made greeting card in 1988. In the past eight years, Palmer has worked on over 500 custom illustration projects including illustrations that appeared in Midwest Living and Better Homes and Gardens Magazines, a Rogue jump box that Carrie Underwood owns and featured in her recent book, a portable mural for Facebook, a real life water tower that looks over her hometown of Muscatine, Iowa, hundreds of foam core wine glasses and more.

Chris Sullivan is a Des Moines native that has been tattooing professionally for 12 years. He has worked at multiple tattoo studios in the area, owned his own shop in Altoona, and has now opened his own tattoo shop and paint studio at the Mainframe building. This past May, Chris and his two business partners hosted their 3rd Annual Middle of the Map Tattoo Convention at Hy-Vee Hall, bringing in over 200 tattoo artists from around the country and providing art, activities, and entertainment to thousands of attendees. In addition to these passions, Chris enjoys painting using multiple mediums like watercolor, spray paint, and acrylic paint. He has expanded on these skills in the past two years by completing murals at the Lauridsen Skate Park, CRU Wine Bar, Selfie Wrld and Paws and Pints.

Sullivan’s piece “515 Day” is on the corner of 7th and Grand over Grand Ave. This artwork was created in celebration of 515 Day, a community-wide effort to uplift our region and support our local businesses. Sullivan said, “My goal for this piece was that it was bold enough to be seen and appreciate from far away and also enjoyable when close enough to take a photo with. When thinking of what stands out to me about Des Moines I immediately thought about the skatepark. I’m no skateboarder, but the idea that so many people came together to develop this elaborate skatepark in the heart of Downtown, says everything you need to know about how art driven this community is. I’m very proud to be from Des Moines and grateful I got to design this mural.”