All University Museums programs and events are free and open to the public unless noted. Programs and events are subject to change. Some events require registration. Some events have optional registration to receive updates and emails. Other events have no registration.
Support for programs provided by the Kathy & John Howell Art Enrichment Program and University Museums Membership.
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The Brunnier Art Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Farm House Museum, and University Museums office will be CLOSED Thursday, July 4, 2024 in honor of Independence Day.
Read More on Museums and Office CLOSED for Independence DayThe Brunnier Art Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, and Farm House Museum will be CLOSED July 27–August 25, 2024 to change exhibitions.
Read More on Museums CLOSED to Change ExhibitionsLearn about Iowa State’s human sciences and the impact of educators seen in the Art on Campus Collection. Led by docent Dana Schumacher.
Read More on Art Walk: Education and EnrichmentJoin Duane Reeves, assistant vice president for Auxiliary Enterprise, and University Museums staff to kick off the 50th anniversary with a live watch party of the 50-year video documentary. Watch in person at the Brunnier Art Museum or join virtually. Consider hosting your own watch party!
Read More on University Museums’ 50-year Video Release PartyThere’s a whole world of art – and at times it’s right under our feet! Explore several of the terrazzo floors and architectural elements in the Art on Campus Collection.
Read More on Art Walk: Under Our FeetJoin University Museums at the Christian Petersen Art Museum to welcome the start of the new academic year! Enjoy games and activities from the International Students and Scholars Office, learn about the museums, visit the new exhibitions, and take home some tasty snacks.
Read More on Museums After Hours: Welcome Back NightThe Brunnier Art Museum, Christian Petersen Art Museum, Farm House Museum, and University Museums office will be CLOSED Monday, September 2, 2024 in honor of Labor Day.
Read More on Museums and Office CLOSED for Labor DayCelebrate the new exhibition Barragán: A Spiritual Master at the Brunnier Art Museum. Meet the photographer, Robert Duncan, and enjoy imaginative desserts and cocktails inspired by the flavors of Mexico (card bar). RSVP encouraged by August 28, 2024 (link).
Read More on "Barragán: A Spiritual Master" Exhibition ReceptionThe responsibility of a museum to the continued care of collections is a constant process of conducting preventative maintenance and conservation. Join us for a tour through In Their Time to understand the monumental task of caring for a large public art collection.
Read More on Care & Conservation Curator's Tour of "In Their Time"Join Art on Campus curator Sydney Marshall for a closer look at preparatory material for public works of art featured in the Anderson Sculpture Garden and gain a better understanding of their development.
Read More on In Preparation: Maquettes of the Anderson Sculpture GardenHaving trouble getting to the museum during the week? Enjoy the University Museums’ three campus locations and fall exhibitions during open houses for Cyclone Family Weekend. The Farm House Museum will host a program at 2:00 p.m. each day.
Read More on Family Weekend | University Museums Open HousesJoin University Museums for a look at souvenirs of the U.S. World’s Fairs in 1876, 1893, and 1904. Objects include glassware, ceramics, paper goods, and photography.
Read More on Exhibition Tour – World’s Fairs SouvenirsHaving trouble getting to the museum during the week? Enjoy the University Museums’ three campus locations and fall exhibitions during open houses for Cyclone Family Weekend. The Farm House Museum will host a program at 2:00 p.m. each day.
Read More on Family Weekend | University Museums Open HousesLook up! The Farm House Museum recently underwent a roof replacement and exterior painting to receive a historically accurate “glow up” before celebrating 50 years of being a public museum. Join the consulting preservation architect and the curator for an insightful look at the project.
Read More on Preservation of the Farm House MuseumTake a stroll with ISU Horticulture professor Jeff Iles and Anderson Sculpture Garden curator Sydney Marshall to explore the central campus landscape. Learn more about what makes each of these towering works of art, living and not, distinct to the Iowa State campus.
Read More on The Campus Environment: Trees and Sculpture on Central CampusPeter Pincus, Assistant Professor of Ceramics, Rochester Institute of Technology, will discuss the complex nature of balancing life as a ceramic artist, tenured professor, researcher, and full-time parent.
Read More on Completely IncompleteThis presentation discusses how religion was represented at world’s fairs and the significance of these sites for the development of religious pluralism and the academic study of religion.
Read More on Religious Pluralism at the Chicago World’s FairAs summer rolls into fall, visit some of the botanically inspired public art across Iowa State! Features art from both the Art on Campus Collection and in the Anderson Sculpture Garden. Led by docents Cindy Scholten and Rick Bartosh.
Read More on Art Walk: In the GardenLearn about collecting seeds from examples in the Anderson Sculpture Garden and take home pre-packaged seeds from the Seed Library.
Read More on Seed Saving with the Ames Seed Library Pop-Up Seed ExchangeFollowing years of conservation work to replicate the four Maidens and the terracotta fountainhead, and a complete re-construction of the pool system, meet at the Fountain of the Four Seasons with University Museums staff for a public dedication of the fountain. Be present as we turn on the Fountain for the first time of the season.
Read More on Public Dedication of the "Fountain of the Four Seasons"Join Pohlman Fellow Monet Butler, a Junior undergraduate majoring in Political Science, for a presentation on her research uncovering the life and legacy of Zenobia Brumbaugh Ness and the significant contributions of Ness to the fine arts at Iowa State College in the 1930s and 1940s.
Read More on Zenobia Ness: Life & LegacyJoin Midwest Art Conservation staff Megan Emery, Chief Conservator and Senior Objects Conservator; Dianna Clise, Senior Papers Conservator; and Kristy Jeffcoat, Senior Paintings Conservator, in a conversation about their work.
Read More on Conservation in PracticeJoin University Museums curators, Allison Sheridan and Adrienne Gennett, to explore art exhibited throughout In Their Time that can make visitors and museums staff uncomfortable because of the imagery, material, or provenance.
Read More on Uncomfortable Art Curator’s Tour | "In Their Time"REGISTRATION REQUIRED. Join Dr. Jeff Bremer, Professor of History at Iowa State, as he examines life in post-Civil War Iowa. opportunity to meet Dr. Bremer and purchase a signed copy of A New History of Iowa.
Read More on "A New History of Iowa" | Book Lecture with Dr. Jeff BremerThe Christian Petersen Art Museum and Farm House Museum are CLOSED November 25–29, 2024 for Thanksgiving Break. The Brunnier Art Museum will be open the weekend before, Tuesday & Wednesday before, and the weekend after Thanksgiving. The University Museums office have open hours some days this week.
Read More on Farm House Museum & Christian Petersen Art Museum CLOSED for BreakAll University Museums and the office are CLOSED for Thanksgiving. The Anderson Sculpture Garden and Art on Campus Collection are open all hours every day.
Read More on Museums and Office Closed for Thanksgiving