Get to Know 2022 Hide and Seek Artist Jess Quinn

Typically, Jess Quinn paints with oil paint, but for this year’s Hide and Seek Ornaments You Keep event she has chosen to do acrylic. Her theme for this year is Tree of Life, with the front of the ornament featuring a bird and the back of the ornament featuring the bird’s feather. Most of her artwork is floral or botanical related.  

Working at Mainframe 

Quinn has been fortunate to have been at Mainframe Studios since the beginning. Now, she works in her studio six days a week and has moved into a larger space since she first started working there. The larger space allows her to teach art classes and she loves being in an environment with likeminded people. “When you feel stuck, you can have someone look at what you’re working on. If you don’t have the right color, you know someone who does. Working from home, significant others don’t always know how to ‘talk art’ so it’s nice to be in a place with so many other artists.” At the recent Small Business Saturday: Hand Crafted Holiday Market at Mainframe, artists were able to thank shoppers who support the arts in Greater Des Moines (DSM) as they shopped for gifts and art in more than 131 open studios. During First Fridays, Quinn enjoys introducing people to ways in which to see and talk about art. And on Friday, Dec. 2 during a First Friday event, Mainframe will hold its Annual Ceramics Invitational. Quinn is planning on offering ceramic ornaments with collages of the Hide and Seek bird ornaments on the fourth floor in studio 407. 

Hide and Seek Participation 

Quinn said that being a part of the Hide and Seek event gets people talking. One of her students discussed being excited to find an ornament this year after trying for one in previous years — so there is a definite buzz surrounding it. Remembering what the heart of downtown has to offer is one thing that Quinn says the Hide and Seek event does well, and she urges participants to check out local shops and restaurants. Quinn’s own must-visit stops include Fresko, Art Terrarium, Porch Light, Des Moines Mercantile, Raygun, AllSpice Culinarium and Kitchen Collage. 

Learn more about the Hide and Seek Ornaments You Keep event here, and find Quinn’s ornaments during the Sunday, Dec. 11 event. 

Downtown Des Moines (DSM) activations pop up from time to time, and these events provide fun for the whole family! Check out Hide and Seek, Tweet Week and Adventure Stories across downtown. The 2022 Downtown DSM activations series is sponsored by MidAmerican Energy and Prairie Meadows.