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 and...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

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 and adult writers in all genres are welcome.

Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...

Join us for an opening reception for the concurrent exhibitions, Portraiture & Archives in African Photography and Maam Njaré: Goddess of Water.

Featured artist and co-curator of the exhibitions, Ibrahima Thiam will give a short presentation, followed by a Q&A session. Refreshments will be provided.

This program is free and open to all.

Start the semester at the Stanley and learn how to make the most of the museum in your teaching practice. Whether you already bring your classes to the museum or are curious about teaching with our collection for the first time, join us for a day built for faculty and instructors.

In two workshop sessions, museum staff will introduce object-based learning, share museum resources, and offer hands-on ways to bring the galleries into your teaching, from activating nuanced class discussion to...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

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 and...

Once a month, the Stanley hosts events designed to introduce the museum to University of Iowa students through engaging and creative activities. Nights at the Museum events occur on Thursday nights when the museum is open late. These events are planned and developed with the assistance of the Campus Engagement Coordinator, a student employee who works with museum staff to engage student audiences. Information about past Nights at the Museum can be found here. Attending student events also...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

Join us for a lecture at the museum by Nora Annesley Taylor introducing audiences to the field of modern and contemporary Southeast Asian art. This program accompanies the student-curated exhibition of contemporary Myanmar paintings on view in the Visual Lab in Fall 2026.

Nora Annesley Taylor is the Alsdorf Professor of South and Southeast Asian Art at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a specialist in the art of the region. She is the author of Painters in Hanoi: An Ethnography of...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

Drawing Salon with Robert Caputo is a monthly workshop held at the museum on Sunday afternoons. It is free to attend and suitable for all skill levels. Registration is required to secure a spot.

Each session focuses on drawing artworks from the museum's collection, led by Iowa City-based artist, Robert Caputo. The sessions will begin with an introduction and discussion of the selected work. Participants will be encouraged to pursue their own visions and to take inspiration from the artworks in...

Jazz at the Stanley is back and moving outdoors! Join us in the sculpture park outside the museum for an evening of live music under the open sky.

Enjoy smooth jazz surrounded by stunning sculptures and take advantage of extended evening hours to explore the interior galleries before or after the show.

Presented in collaboration with SCOPE Productions, this event is free and open to all.

Bring a blanket or lawn chair and enjoy a wonderful night of music and art in the heart of Iowa City!

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

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 and adult writers in all genres are welcome.

Write at the Stanley meets every fourth...

Need a creative break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons to work on a craft project of your choice.

Bring your own in-progress project or start a new one using the various supplies provided. Try your hand at sketching, coloring, knitting, embroidery, origami, and so much more in a relaxing, low-pressure environment. Stay as long as you like and make new connections. Light snacks will be provided.

Friday Crafternoons occurs almost every Friday at the Stanley Museum of...

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 and...

Once a month, the Stanley hosts events designed to introduce the museum to University of Iowa students through engaging and creative activities. Nights at the Museum events occur on Thursday nights when the museum is open late. These events are planned and developed with the assistance of the Campus Engagement Coordinator, a student employee who works with museum staff to engage student audiences. Information about past Nights at the Museum can be found here. Attending student events also...