Renewal: A Journey in Becoming - Art Show

Name: Renewal: A Journey in Becoming - Art Show
Start: 2026-05-02T16:00:00-05:00
Location: 1163 24th St, Unit B Des Moines IA 50311

Schedule

Sat, 02 May, 2026 at 04:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

1163 24th St, Unit B Des Moines IA 50311 | Des Moines, IA

From the mind of Allison Hall...
RENEWAL: A Journey in Becoming
with music performance by Not Sisters

SATURDAY, MAY 2
4pm - 8pm
Not Sisters: 5:30pm - 6:30pm
All Ages
FREE EVENT - DONATIONS SUGGESTED
@ xBk Annex

*Limited seating available on a first come, first served basis*

____________________________

ALLISON HALL BIO:
I grew up on the south side of Des Moines, went to Lincoln High School and then Iowa State University where I majored in Biological/Pre-Medical Illustration. After graduating, I worked at Sticks Object Art and Furniture, where I was painter. During that time, I started doing art shows around the Des Moines area and Omaha. I worked at Sticks for about seven years and then decided I wanted to pursue a career that would incorporate my love for science, anatomy and art.
I went back to school for Mortuary Science in 2009 and was licensed as a funeral director and embalmer in 2010. I did my internship at Hamilton’s Funeral Home and continued to work there for 12 years. I managed the preparation center and specialized in embalming and restorative art. I also taught Restorative Art for the Mortuary Science program at DMACC for five years. I will always have a passion for the art of embalming and what can be accomplished to make a viewing happen for families when their loved one dies. I was able to prepare decedents after trauma and provide a final viewing in many situations where families thought they couldn’t see their loved ones again. I will never forget the many interactions I’ve had with people during their most emotional and difficult times. For that, I am grateful.
I decided in 2021 that it was time for me to move on in my career, and now I work as a funeral director and donation logistics supervisor for Iowa Donor Network. I work with many teams there to make organ and tissue donation happen and communicate with funeral homes across the state. It has been a very educational and rewarding experience.
I have always painted and specialized in custom pet portraits for some time until realizing that my true passion is in surrealism. I love being able to come up with an idea in my head and see if I can make it possible on canvas. For the last couple of years, I have been painting music inspired pieces, experimented with face painting and creating hodgepodge hats, which I like to share to promote upcoming shows for the Unfortunate Sons. It has been a blast coming up with new ideas for my art!
I have played classical piano since I was very young. I started taking piano lessons when I was five and continued through high school. I had always admired musicians and their ability to share their talents on stage but never had the guts to do it myself. Johnny encouraged me to play some tunes with The Unfortunate Sons and on my 39th birthday, I joined them for a neighborhood party and played a few songs. That was kind of the beginning of feeling the rush to make music with a band. Over the last few years, I have enjoyed challenging myself to let go and have fun performing. I have always been behind the scenes with playing music and in my career and was always nervous about being on stage and in front of people. Finally being able to be my weird self out there and just have fun, well it’s taken a few years, but the rush I get from singing and playing is absolutely wonderful. I am so grateful to be a part of a supportive, weird and loving group. I started playing with Rainbow in Not Sisters in the last couple of years and joined The Ripoffs this past year. I can't wait to see where this journey takes us!