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
Operation Downtown and the Greater Des Moines Partnership collaborated with local artists Jordan Brooks and Laura Palmer 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.