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Joel Ryser's "Hot Glass" sculptures at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. (Photo: Michael Morain)
ARTS & CULTURE
Glass art pops up at the Botanical Garden
By Michael Morain
Are you decorating a tree for the holidays? If you want to kick it up a notch, take a note from the Greater Des Moines Botanical Center and spiff up your greenery with sculptures of handmade, Venetian-style glass.
Joel Ryser, a glass artist from the nonprofit Hot Glass studio in Davenport, recently installed his handiwork throughout the conservatory, where it will remain through March 30. He draws inspiration from the “cane and murrine” technique from the Venetian island of Murano, where artists in the 1600s figured out how to slice bundles of colored glass rods and arrange the cross-sections into eye-popping patterns. (One version is called “millefiori,” which means “a thousand flowers.”)
In the garden, Ryser’s artwork pokes up from the ground like twisty stalks, plate-sized flowers and towering bulbous cacti. It catches the sunlight during the day and the colored lights during the Dome for the Holidays display at night (Wednesday through Sunday through Dec. 31).
The artwork is available for purchase for an indoor or outdoor site at a home or office — or for the Botanical Garden, as a tax-deductible donation. Proceeds from sales support tuition-free glassblowing workshops for at-risk students and military veterans at the Hot Glass studio.
Meantime, the Botanical Garden is hosting another new art exhibit, called “Blooming.” Local artist Jenna Brownlee’s jumbo paintings of peonies and other flowers are on display through Jan. 26 in the north gallery.
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WEEKEND SECTION PRESENTED BY CATCH DES MOINES
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Support the Blank Children's Hospital with seasonal spirit. (Photo: Maharry Photography)
BEST BET
Holiday cheer for a good cause
This 41st annual pop-up forest, the Festival of Trees & Lights, takes temporary root this weekend at the Iowa Events Center. It’s open 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. After strolling through the trees, enjoy a visit with Santa, performances from local music groups and craft activities.
While this festival sparks holiday spirit, it also raises funds for Blank Children’s Hospital. The proceeds support the hospital’s programs to create a comfortable atmosphere for patients and to teach kids important lessons about safety. Find more details online.
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Winterset Festival of Lights (5-8 p.m. Friday): For small-town revelry, your best bet is the Madison County seat, where you’ll find live music, a lighted parade and a screening of “Elf” at the historic Iowa Theater.
Santa’s Rock n Lights (5:05 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday): Round up the kids and drive your cozy horseless carriage through Living History Farms to see a milelong spectacle of lights and illuminated sculptures.
B. Well benefit concert (7 p.m. Friday): Musicians Juliano Dock, FlySpace, DJ cdisiac and Johnny Marz will perform with B. Well & Dose at a concert this Friday at Wooly’s. Proceeds benefit the B. Well Foundation, which offers mentorships, grants and community events to help local young people thrive.
Joe Bonamassa (8 p.m. Saturday): The famous blues guitarist brings his classic songs to the Des Moines Civic Center. The musician has 27 No. 1 Billboard Blues albums and sold out Radio City Music Hall for two nights earlier this year.
Wishbone Ash (7 p.m. Sunday): The English band collected song suggestions from fans on social media to put together its current “Wish List Tour.” The group slides through xBk here in Des Moines during its current U.S. tour.
“Erma Bombeck: At Wit’s End” (opening 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, with shows through Dec. 21): The beloved columnist’s domestic trials and triumphs take center stage at the Temple Theater in this biographical play written by sisters and former Des Moines Register reporters Allison and Margaret Engel.
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Library closures: All Des Moines Public Library locations will be closed or have shortened hours for the upcoming holidays, so get those books returned early. Libraries will be closed Nov. 28 and 29, Dec. 24 and 25, and Jan. 1.
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dsm Home Design Awards: We're thrilled to announce the finalists in Architecture and New Construction for our upcoming 2025 Home Design Awards. (Check out photos of the finalist projects.)
- Traditional Architecture: Curran and Co. Architects, MainBuilt Custom Homes
- Modern New Construction: 5 Amigos Iowa Investors LLC, Curran and Co. Architects, MainBuilt Custom Homes
- Traditional New Construction: Caliber Homes, Curran and Co. Architects, MainBuilt Custom Homes
- Vacation Home: Dwell Home Furnishings and Interior Design, Jeid Studio, Melissa Guerrero Design
We'll unveil the winners at an awards ceremony on Feb. 25. Stay tuned for registration details.
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Go! Write! Win! Drake University’s School of Journalism Mass Communications announced a new option for future journalism students coming in 2025. The school is adding a sports media major to the curriculum, incorporating hands-on learning opportunities with Drake's Division I athletics teams and other professional sports organizations in the Des Moines area.
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At Oak Park, the staff digs in daily at 3 p.m. Sometimes the "family meal" includes biological family. (Photo: Duane Tinkey)
PEOPLE & COMMUNITY
Setting the table for success
By Karla Walsh
Before the first seating at some of Central Iowa’s most beloved restaurants, the staff break bread together at the daily “family meal.”
Some teams include actual family members, but most share bonds forged by the pressure of rapid-fire tickets in the middle of a bustling service. The meal is a moment of calm before the storm. It fosters a sense of teamwork, reduces food waste, boosts energy before each shift, sparks creativity and gives staffers at all levels a chance to shine.
“Family meal was the first program I implemented when I took over the Hotel Fort Des Moines culinary program in 2022,” said James Richards, the executive chef at Proudfoot & Bird. “Screw changing the menu. First we need to feed our staff!”
Richards wasn’t talking about just the restaurant staff. For the past two years, the entire hotel staff — housekeepers, receptionists, valets and many others — have been invited to family meal. It’s served at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. seven days a week, and about three dozen employees usually show up for each pre-shift meal.
It started humbly with grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, but it has evolved. “We challenge ourselves to create a healthy, nutritious and delicious meal with little to nothing in the cooler or on the shelves,” Richards said. “I wanted to build a culture of taking care of one another, and sharing food is the best way to do that.”
Besides, that culture benefits from a bit of friendly competition. Richards said that sous chef Chris Hollinger holds the hotel’s “undisputed heavyweight championship title for King of Family Meal.
READ MORE about “family dinner” at Oak Park and Prime & Providence online at dsm Dish.
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