east front of museum with sky reflected in the glass

Visit

Our beautiful building is a cultural and social center where you can explore, unwind, meet, and create. Everyone is welcome.

Two students thoughtfully viewing artwork

Explore

Spark your curiosity with something new or stop by and see your old favorites.                                                                                                                                  

A group of three university students look at a large African mask

Discover

The world-class art collection provides exciting opportunities for teaching, learning, and research.                                                                            

Two women sitting on a green couch having a conversation

Events

There’s always something exciting going on at your art museum. Find out what’s coming up on the calendar.

Multiple bookmarks and copies of a red book fanned out with the text "Beloved. A novel by Toni Morrison."

NEA Big Read | Free Book Pick Up

The NEA Big Read is here in Iowa City! 📚

Get your free copy of Beloved by Toni Morrison and be a part of this community-wide reading event. Available to pick up at 12 different locations across Iowa City. From February to May, our community will celebrate Beloved with a full calendar of events.

Iron sculpture depicting a four-legged animal with long, curving horns

Mellon Symposium on Museum Ethics and Provenance Research

May 1 - May 3, 2025

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art presents a three-day symposium this May that will showcase the museum's recent advancements in restitution and provenance research while engaging in insightful conversations with field experts on ethical museum practices and the critical exploration of cultural heritage.

Gallery Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Wednesday: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Thursday: 10 a.m.–8:00 p.m.
Friday: 10 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–​​​​​​​4:30 p.m.​​​​​​​
Sunday: 12:00–4:30 p.m.

Admission to the museum building will end 5 minutes before gallery closing.

Office Hours

Monday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Tuesday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Wednesday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Thursday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

Current Exhibitions

Recent Acquisitions

it's a fine thing

Homecoming

Aerial view of museum with campus recreation center on left and Main Library on right

The Building

Nestled between the Main Library and Campus Recreation and Wellness Center on the west side of Gibson Square Park, the new Stanley Museum of Art is a hub of learning and research for the University of Iowa and the state. The three-story, state-of-the-art building, designed by BNIM of Des Moines, Iowa, includes a range of flexible spaces for research, education, and exhibitions, and is ideally suited to serve as a center for interdisciplinary teaching, discovery, and community building.

Upcoming Events

Our Stories In and On the Midwest Landscape: A Panel Conversation with Alicia Olushola Ajayi, Kelley Lemon, and Naima Green promotional image

Our Stories In and On the Midwest Landscape: A Panel Conversation with Alicia Olushola Ajayi, Kelley Lemon, and Naima Green

Thursday, April 24, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Join us for a compelling panel discussion moderated by Katherine Simóne Reynolds and featuring Kelley Lemon, Naima Green, and Alicia Olushola Ajayi. This conversation will illuminate the many ways Black artists and practitioners are engaging with ecological narratives, uncovering hidden histories, and shaping future landscapes. This event is held in conjunction with the exhibition, it's a fine thing, currently on view at the Stanley Museum of Art.Moderator:Katherine Simóne Reynolds is an artist...
Film Screening & Artist Conversation | Christopher Harris & Cameron Granger promotional image

Film Screening & Artist Conversation | Christopher Harris & Cameron Granger

Friday, April 25, 2025 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Art Building West
Join us for a special evening of film screenings and conversation with acclaimed filmmakers/artists Christopher Harris and Cameron Granger. This program is part of the Grant Wood Art Colony's 8th Biennial Symposium, Race and Regionalism: Representation in the Heartland, and is held in conjunction with the Stanley Museum of Art's exhibition, it's a fine thing.Featured FilmsChristopher HarrisDistant Shores (2016, 3min)Christopher Harris’s Distant Shores, to take one, models a necessary imaginative...
Write at the Stanley promotional image

Write at the Stanley

Sunday, April 27, 2025 2:30pm to 11:59pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Write at the Stanley: A Generative Writing Workshop is back for the Spring Semester!Join us monthly to generate new creative writing inspired by works in the Stanley collection. Each session will be led by a different talented writer from our area, who will be offering a new prompt and a new approach to ekphrastic writing (writing inspired by visual art). Bring your own notebook and pencil or computer and leave with the beginning of a newly written piece.Co-sponsored by Iowa City Poetry. Teen...
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