In early 2022, a newly renovated high school auditorium at Des Moines’s East High School was named after Ruth Ann Gaines, a sitting Iowa legislator, in honor of her 40 years of service as a drama teacher there.

Among her many other accomplishments in the arts, education, media, and government, Ruth Ann Gaines developed a curriculum in theater arts that provided opportunities where all students could participate and express themselves — no matter what limitations the students may have experienced. In her work, she collaborated to host people with disabilities as artists-in-residence, served as an assistant debate coach, founded a mime group and created a mentorship program for African and African-American female students. She even found a way to allow students to rehearse school plays during the school day, creating an opportunity for a greater number of students to be involved.

Trent Ainsworth, Beeline's president, is a graduate of East High School, so we were especially honored to be tapped to produce the signage for this worthy dedication. Read below for how we designed signage that matches the school beautifully.

A fitting tribute fits into the interior beautifully.

East High was built in 1861, and it was important that the signage integrated with the stately, century-old interior. We started by photographing the marble flooring in the hallway. Then we worked with the image, cloning, and color correcting until we had an accurate imitation of the marble.

We printed the marble pattern to the back of a sheet of acrylic. Then, lettering was applied to the front, providing a sense of dimension. The finished piece was mounted over brass with standoffs attached to the frame above the door.

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