Embodied - February's First Friday

Name: Embodied - February's First Friday
Start: 2026-02-06T17:00:00-06:00
End: 2026-02-06T20:00:00-06:00
Location: Mainframe Studios

Schedule

Fri Feb 06 2026 at 05:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-06:00

Location

Mainframe Studios | Des Moines, IA

Join us for February’s First Friday at Mainframe Studios, a vibrant evening celebrating art, creativity, and community.
This month’s featured exhibition, EMBODIED, curated by Lydia Nong, is a multimedia exploration of the human figure as a powerful tool for storytelling. Featuring artists who use the body as their primary language, the exhibition reveals how posture, gesture, and form convey emotion, identity, and lived experience. Rather than serving solely as subject, the body becomes the narrator - inviting viewers to reflect on what it means to be human, seen, and felt.
The Evening’s Highlights:
- Interactive Art: Join Brittany Brooke Crow for a live figure drawing activity
- Music: Enjoy chamber music by Quartet 515.
- Food & Drink: Delicious offerings from Tangerine Food Co, Reyes Tamales, Mama Africa, LeeTy Delights, and Not Your Average Bar.
- Open Studios: Explore five floors of workspaces, connect with local artists, and see new work in progress.
First Friday events are family-friendly, free, and open to the public!
With expanded overflow parking and a complimentary shuttle service, getting here is easy. Don’t miss this dynamic celebration of art and expression!

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Lydia Nong is a figurative artist from Iowa whose work explores the emotional and psychological layers of the human experience. She earned her BFA from Iowa State University and has exhibited throughout the Midwest, receiving multiple juried awards and completing a year-long residency. Using the human body as her primary language, she transform complex feelings into visual metaphors, illuminating the shared emotional currents that connect us all.