Another Feather in Des Moines’ Cap with New School for the Arts
Editor’s Note: This was originally ran as an April Fools Joke, but what a great concept.
Des Moines is becoming the Art Capital of the Mid-West! This week it was announced that a new school for the arts would be created and moved into the Ruan Center with classes starting Fall of 2011. With Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield moving into their new headquarters this summer/fall, the 2nd tallest building in the city would have had a tremendous amount of office space come open on the market. Problem solved! A newly chartered school for the arts is taking over the space.
Organizers stated that the new school, to be called, the Des Moines School of Art & Design, will be headquartered in downtown Des Moines. The Ruan Center will become the new home for up approximately 1,000 students, with campus housing for 730 of them in the Ruan Center. Previous office space will be converted to dormitories for the students and the remaining floors will become educational classes.
The school will over Bachelors of Arts and Masters of Fine Arts in photography, graphic media, paint, film/video, visual arts, architecture and design. With tuition starting at $30,000 a year for off-campus students and $42,000 a year to
include dormitory housing the school will be a boom to the local Des Moines economy. Local restaurants and businesses will see even more new life in the downtown area in non-traditional work times.
April Fools! 
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Posted under Living Downtown | Last modified on April 3rd, 2010.
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Pete Jones on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 8:20 am
This is fantastic news! It is a great find for downtown and a great addition to the city.
Pete Jones on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 8:39 am
Argh!! You got me. Thanks Larry, I thought this was a good thing.
Justin Brady on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 9:35 am
I was so excited and actually told a friend. It’s ok, they called me back to let me know that I had been fooled…. hopefully someone does this for REAL!
MulderDSM on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 10:35 am
LOL! I can write a great April Fool’s story! I as much as anyone would love to see something like this become true.
Michael on Thu, 1st Apr 2010 3:58 pm
This is mean-spirited and childish. I’m offended, and I’m finished with this blog. That is no joke.
Joe Domeier on Fri, 2nd Apr 2010 6:06 am
It may have fooled some but an art school for youth and adults is under disscussion by some at DMPS and private parties. It’s all about the benjamins$$!
Zachary Mannheimer on Fri, 2nd Apr 2010 8:34 am
I’m very upset with this blog post. This post showed a great deal of true colors of how DSM really feels about it’s artistic community. This was not just a little joke, this was well thought out, well written and detailed. It essentially says: “Hey artists! This will never happen in Des Moines.” I understand you might think this will spawn interest in creating something like this in DSM, but instead it has done quite the opposite. Speaking on behalf of many artists in this city, an apology is necessary, as is some public action on the idea that you falsely created.
But really, Michael here above put it best. Childish to say the least.
hank kelly on Sat, 3rd Apr 2010 8:53 am
Mulder said that he would love to see something like this become true. It was an April Fool’s joke that sucked us all in. That’s what good April Fool’s jokes do.
Zachary, you said \This post showed a great deal of true colors of how DSM really feels about it’s artistic community.\ Zachary, that statement of yours is disappointing. You know better than that. The Des Moines community has been very supportive of you and all of it’s artists. The neighborhood you are located in has been transformed in the past few months into one of the country’s best sculpture gardens.
I admire and I am grateful for your immense artistic contribution to Des Moines. I also admire and am grateful to Mulder for this site which helps showcase out city not only to local residents but to the entire country as well.