'Whether the struggle is an internal or an external one, there are important artists who are not being shown, promoted or advertized in the delimited infrastructure of today's art world. There is a problem when art becomes an overly market-driven enterprise, contingent upon mystique, as it has become since the eighties. To make art happen as a vital force within culture despite the rhetoric that supports this mystique through the sale of escapist spectacles, is to recognize that artists may still have a community in which to muster strength and mutual support. This community may be defined as one that maintains at its basis an open sense of internal critique. It is only through a sense of dialogue within the community that artists can hope to contribute a presence in relation to the cultural context that exists outside.'

-Robert C. Morgan, 'The End of the Art World', 1998.

Visual and Performing Arts Des Moines (VPArts) is conceived as a cultural center for the visual and performing arts serving the Greater Des Moines area and beyond, bringing together multiple artistic disciplines-theatre, film, dance, music and visual arts-into one collective space. The creation of such a space would greatly enhance Des Moines' cultural significance both regionally and nationally by providing the following services and benefits:

• The creation of multidisciplinary performance and exhibition spaces that, while not financially sustainable by one arts organization, can not only thrive but generate income for artists by using the space collectively.
• The creation of exhibition, rehearsal, studio, office and performance space for all arts organizations within the Greater Des Moines area.
• The creation of significant and unique multidisciplinary artistic products, services, and entertainment through the collaborative efforts of the member organizations.
• The realization of Des Moines as a city willing to foster its artistic community so that not only will those artists choose to remain in Des Moines, but that other artists from around the country and world be attracted to work in Des Moines, in turn attracting patrons and customers.

Currently, eight organizations representing each of the five disciplines listed above are working together to make this facility a reality: