Image of the front cover of "In a Time of Witness." It features a detail shot of Elizabeth Catlett's "Glory," with a yellow sidebar that features the book's title.

Award-winning writers find inspiration in the Stanley Museum of Art collection

Publication ‘In a Time of Witness’ pairs beautiful imagery with new literary works

The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art announces the September release of In a Time of Witness, a publication highlighting the Museum’s celebrated collection.

Beyond a traditional exhibition catalog, the book pairs stunning imagery from the Stanley collection with original literary responses to showcase an innovative vision for art interpretation.

For more information about the catalogue and its contributors, click here
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Visit

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

Plan Your Visit
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Explore

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

Collections
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.                                                                            

Learn More
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Connect

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

Engage

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 15 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

Text reading "Coming Home Coming Home" side by side with the left part of a large abstract painting with swirls of yellow, pink, teal, and light greenish blue, amid longer, vertical, curved black lines that have a quality of dance-like movement.

Homecoming

August 26, 2022–July 2025

The Stanley's inaugural exhibition, Homecoming,  reintroduces visitors to the museum's extraordinary collection. Homecoming comprises a series of related installations: “Generations,” which will foreground the University of Iowa’s history of innovative arts education and scholarship; “Fragments of the Canon,” featuring African art collected by a Black Iowan, Meredith Saunders; and “History Is Always Now,” in which the Stanley’s celebrated collection of African art will be displayed in a new way that emphasizes movement and cultural exchange through time and across space.

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

Drawn Over: Reclaiming Our Histories promotional image

Drawn Over: Reclaiming Our Histories

Wednesday, August 23, 2023 10:00am to Tuesday, January 2, 2024 4:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art
The University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art presents Drawn Over: Reclaiming Our Histories.  Featuring the museum’s world-renowned collection of Native American ledger drawings and guest curated by Dr. Jacki Thompson Rand (citizen, Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma); Associate Vice Chancellor for Native Affairs, Associate Professor, University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. The show is generously supported by the Terra Foundation for American Art with additional support from John S. and Patricia C...
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Chill & Create

Friday, October 6, 2023 2:00pm to 4:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Chill & Create, a unique and hands-on program, integrates art viewing, art making and mindfulness strategies to provide students with tools to de-stress, manage anxiety, and develop wellness practices. During the 2-hour workshop participants will learn new ways to improve well-being, while benefiting from the positive effects of viewing and making art. No prior art making experience necessary.  The workshop will be led by Dana Keeton, a local board-certified art therapist and licensed mental...
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Art & Write Night

Friday, October 6, 2023 6:00pm to 8:00pm
University of Iowa Museum of Natural History
Join the long, rich, historical tradition of artists creating in our spaces. Professional, aspiring, and amateur artists alike, make our museum your muse. The return of this popular program series welcomes guests into the Museum of Natural History's magical gallery spaces after-hours to work on sketching or writing projects with other campus and community artists. Tell a friend, grab a notebook, and join us on the first Friday of each month. We'll provide a new inspo prompt for each session...
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