Watch RAGBRAI mural time lapse
Iowa Native Isaac Campbell is brining art and history to RAGBRAI with his wheat paste murals in each overnight town.
Kelsey Kremer, Des Moines Register
- Liz Lidgett’s new book, “Art for Everyone,” aims to make art collecting accessible to everyone, regardless of budget.
- The book offers practical advice on navigating the art world, including understanding art jargon, framing, and negotiating prices.
- Lidgett’s Des Moines gallery has expanded to include interior design services.
Liz Lidgett spent five years honing a pitch for a book on collecting art. She knew she wanted to take an approachable angle, something that would appeal to the curious who are interested in collecting art but had no idea where to start.
Then in February 2024, an editor at Simon & Schuster, Samantha Weiner, sent her a DM on Instagram, asking if she considered writing a book. Her tips on hanging art, working with architects, and how to appreciate art caught the attention of the executive editor of Simon Element imprint at Simon & Schuster.
Lidgett already had an agent, Kirsten Neuhaus, and together in the next 12 hours, they put together the final pitch and sent it to the powerhouse book publisher.
A week later, she had a contract.
“Everything about this has been kismet, and it really felt like that the whole time,” said Lidgett, the art gallery owner and entrepreneur who owns Liz Lidgett Gallery & Design in the East Village of Des Moines.
Lidgett is taking her passion for making art accessible to new heights with the release of her book, “Art for Everyone: A Bold, Beautiful Guide to Collecting Art on Any Budget,” which comes on the heels of her business expansion to include interior design.
“I just felt like my brain was a literal sponge, and I was just squeezing it, wringing it out,” she said of the writing process, which many times took her out of the gallery to concentrate on words. “It really was just trying to get every single bit, every question that a client has had, every conversation I’ve had with an artist, into one book.”
The book contains nine chapters, 50,000 words, 125 artists mentioned, 250 photos from artists and homes across the country, and includes an inside look at that artwork in a boatload of houses in Des Moines.
Making art accessible through her book
Lidgett’s new book reflects her long-standing mission to democratize art collecting. Her approach has always been about breaking down barriers and helping people connect with art regardless of their budget or experience level.
“It’s not a coffee table book. It really is a guide that will help people feel comfortable in the art world, and I really wanted it to be plainly spoken,” Lidgett said.
Through her gallery work, she has consistently shown that art doesn’t have to be expensive to be meaningful or impactful.
“Art is for everyone, and it has been my mantra with the gallery and everything that we do, and now even with interior design,” Lidgett said. “Good design is for everybody, so if somebody is interested, these are all of the tools to make your way through the art world and start collecting.”
Breaking down the jargon
Lidgett said that while she was studying to get her master’s degree at USC, she kept a notebook of jargon her professors used.
“I had this Word document of words that I was sure they had made up,” she said. “I think that happens a lot in the art world, where the vocabulary that’s used, it all comes together to make people feel intimidated. And that’s really what the opposite of this book is.”
“Art for Everyone” simplifies the often-elitist terms, even offering pronunciation guides along the way. The book explains the language related to quality, pricing, commissioning, and other key aspects of the art buying process.
She also covers affordable framing options, negotiating prices, and more in the book, with advice for every budget, in every room.
“The ‘Mona Lisa’ was bathroom art for a while. It hung in the bathroom of the king before it went to the Louvre,” Lidgett said. “There’s a lot of steam in bathrooms. What’s the appropriate type of artwork in the bathroom? It’s not the ‘Mona Lisa,’ I’ll tell you that.”
Expanding into interior design
Lidgett is now emphasizing the design aspect of her business, as well. “It’s always been Liz Lidgett Gallery & Design. Now we’re kind of emphasizing that design (part of the name),” she said.
She brought on Hannah Jacobus, who worked at Amanda Reynal Interiors, to handle the interior design work.
This expansion isn’t entirely new territory for Lidgett. She explained that they “didn’t really fit exactly in the gallery box” from the beginning, often incorporating DIY projects and design elements, particularly in restaurant collaborations.
“It was important to me that we said how we were different,” she said, and the formal design business represents a natural evolution of work they’ve been doing all along.
A personal approach to art
Lidgett’s hands-on approach extends to every aspect of her business. She has been known to personally source and curate pieces, ensuring each element fits her vision for accessible, beautiful art.
On a Friday morning, Des Moines-based artist Jimmy Navarro walked into the gallery with a new work created for a bank in Jefferson, Iowa. Lidgett connects artists with projects, something she did at the Iowa State Fair with the four murals in the southwest section of the Iowa State Fairgrounds, adorning a concrete block building that houses an electrical sub-station. Navarro painted those odes to all things Iowa as well.
She brought artist Jenna Brownlee’s “My heart belongs to Des Moines, Iowa” to the Parker Apartments in downtown Des Moines. She connected artist Ben Schuh with the mural “Better Together, Better Forever,” on the side of the Renaissance Des Moines Savery Hotel. The list goes on.
Her goal is to help people have the same positive reaction that she had when she first discovered art for her own home, that moment of connection and joy when finding the perfect piece. Through her book and expanded design services, Lidgett continues to champion the idea that everyone deserves to live with art they love, regardless of their budget or previous experience with collecting. Her work demonstrates that with the right guidance and community support, art truly can be for everyone.
Three cool things to know about Liz Lidgett
“Rosemary No. 3,” by Shannon Coppage, was purchased and used in the Anne Hathaway film, “The Idea of You.”
Lidgett sourced “Cleaving an Essential Wound,” a textile work Jen Pack, for the women’s shoe section of a Louis Vuitton store at Hudson Yards in New York.
She commissioned artwork for local restaurants, including Malo, Clyde’s Fine Diner, Bubba Southern Comforts, Lua Brewing Co., and Either/Or, to name a few.
Where to find ‘Art for Everyone: A Bold, Beautiful Guide to Collecting Art on Any Budget’
The book goes on pre-sale on Aug. 4 for $35 at amazon.com. The 208-page book with photography by Adam Albright comes out on the Simon & Schuster/Simon Element imprint on April 21, 2026.
Where to find Liz Lidgett Gallery & Design
Location: 111 E. Grand Ave., Suite 110, Des Moines
Contact: 515-288-8990 or lizlidgett.com
Hours: Open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Susan Stapleton is the entertainment editor and dining reporter at The Des Moines Register. Follow her on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, or drop her a line at sstapleton@gannett.com.
