News & Announcements

CALL FOR GALLERY PROPOSALS

Polk County Conservation is seeking proposals for exhibition in The Galleries at the Jester Park Nature Center. Established and emerging artists currently living in Iowa are invited to apply individually or with a group to exhibit. The exhibition will run January 2 - April 28, 2024. The deadline to submit your proposal is October 15, 2023. Proposals received after that date may not be considered.

The Jester Park Nature Center is located in the heart of Jester Park and serves as a gateway to the outdoors. The facility offers educational displays, live animals, breathtaking views, public programs, and local art. More information about the Jester Park Nature Center is available at http://www.jesterparknaturecenter.com/.

What are the expectations?

• Artist(s) are responsible for all associated expenses related to design, fabrication, presentation, insurance, and transportation.
• Artist may decide if they would like to sell their work or mark it as “NFS”.
  • Polk County Conservation does not take a commission on work sold.
  • Artwork must remain on display during the entire exhibition.
• Polk County Conservation will install and strike exhibition.
• Polk County Conservation is not liable for any lost, stolen, or damaged work.

How do I apply?

To propose an exhibition, please provide the following:

• Ten (10) images of your work
• Description of your proposed exhibition in Word or PDF format
• One-page artist’s statement or project narrative
• One-page CV

For further information and to submit your proposal, email Missy Smith, Nature Center Coordinator, at missy.smith@polkcoutyiowa.gov. You will be contacted on November 1, 2023 regarding our selection.

Polk County Conservation and the Jester Park Nature Center are pleased to present, Moments in Time . This art exhibition highlights the work of portrait artist, Laura Travnicek and wood artist, Mary Otis.  Laura comes to us from Urbandale. After working as an art teacher in the public school system, Travnicek left her job to pursue an arts practice. Her desire to paint portra ...

Join Django and Polk County Conservation for an al fresco dinner event at Jester Park! Celebrate the bounty of Iowa’s natural lands with a menu highlighting wild ingredients foraged from the park. Django Chef Partner Derek Eidson will be preparing dishes over live fire fueled by wood sustainably collected on-site. Barn Town Brewing (West Des Moines) will be providing beer, including a special fruited sour made just for this meal with Jester Park’s wild blackcap raspberries. Get your tickets today for this unforgettable event!

Date: Sept. 23, 2023
Time: 4:30pm
Location: Jester Park Nature Center (12130 NW 128th Street, Granger Iowa)
Tickets: $150/person (+ tax). Beverage service and gratuity included.

A portion of ticket sales will fund the Raptor Education Program at Polk County Conservation. Donations help care for several raptors that help teach people of all ages about Iowa’s winged wonders and their value to our ecosystem.

MENU

Appetizer / whipped goat cheese with wild sumac, grilled flat bread, wild grape preserves and forest pickles of cattails and oyster mushrooms

Salad / purslane and pickled garlic mustard with anchovy dressing, Parmesan Reggiano and forest focaccia croutons

Gnocchi / dandelion green ricotta gnocchi with peas, butter and mountain mint

Pork / miso-maple glazed pork cooked over Jester Park juniper with mulberry mostarda

Fish / sumac-rubbed walleye with pineapple weed capers and golden oyster mushrooms

Squash / fire-roasted winter squash with chili and black walnut gremolata

Dessert / grilled peaches with mulberry frozen custard, oat-nut crunch, and wild violet sauce

A note from Chef Derek Eidson: “Over the past few months, the foraging team at Polk County Conservation has worked hard to gather an abundance of wild edibles from the grounds of Jester Park. The Django team has been preserving, pickling, marinating and candying these foraged ingredients to preserve their unique characteristics. We’re proud to showcase Iowa’s deliciously wild flavors just steps from their source.”

Polk County Conservation and the Jester Park Nature Center are pleased to present, Beauty. This art exhibition highlights the work of Bill Allen. 

Bill’s art is inspired by moments of transient beauty and places where beauty is perhaps unexpected. This exhibit of Bill’s artwork is an eclectic mix of portraiture, natural subjects, and vignettes of everyday life. Bill is a local celebrity here at the Jester Park Nature Center. You may have taken one of many watercolor classes he has taught for us. More of Bill's work can be found on his website at www.wballenart.com

Beauty will be on display from May 1 - August 27 during Jester Park Nature Center hours. Hours can be found at jesterparknaturecenter.com. For additional information, please contact Missy Smith at 323-5317.

FREE to the public

The Jester Park Nature Center’s locally grown, raised, & created Fall Makers Market is a perfect opportunity for you to support local merchants in a beautiful park setting. Join us on Sunday, November 19, from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Jester Park Nature Center in Granger to shop for gifts or goods just in time for the holiday season! While there, explore the nature center ...

Summer Music Series | 2023 Call for Musicians • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • OVERVIEW Polk County Conservation and the Jester Park Nature Center are now accepting submission for local musicians and bands to perform in our upcoming summer music series.  EVENT DATES ...

Polk County Conservation and the Jester Park Nature Center are pleased to present, From the Earth. This art exhibition highlights the work of Ryk Weiss and Pam Dennis.

Their career has been a balance of two paths- the making of individual artworks, and interaction with the public through teaching and collaborative works. The themes they pull from the natural world give the audience a familiar way to enjoy and understand their environment. They hope to evoke a higher awareness of the rich diversity of nature through the sculptural stories they tell celebrating the life of the Midwest.

From the Earth will be on display from January 11th to April 28th during Jester Park Nature Center hours. Hours can be found at jesterparknaturecenter.com. For additional information, please contact Missy Smith at 323-5317.

FREE to the public

The Jester Park Nature Center is now home to two new education ambassadors! Both raptors come to us from Saving Our Avian Resources (SOAR) in Dedham, Iowa.  Our adult female Great Horned Owl was found injured in Des Moines. She has a fractured humerus, near the elbow joint which prevents her from being fully flighted. Our adult female Peregrine Falcon was found injured in the S ...

Polk County Conservation and the Jester Park Nature Center are pleased to present, The Wildlife & Nature Art of Timothy Pross. This art exhibition highlights the work of Atlantic artist, Timothy Pross. Since childhood, Tim is happiest when he is actively engaged in the exploration of nature. His intent as an artist is to take those experience and feeling and strive to exp ...

Call for Artists The Galleries at Jester Park Nature Center is seeking applications for participating in our second annual Artists in Action: Plein Air event and exhibition on September 17 & 18, 2022. A jury will pick up to 10 artists to participate in the event. The accepted artists will exhibit their work completed during the Plein Air event on September 18 th . Artists’ ...