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...

The University of Iowa is planning to retire the Arts Iowa calendar website effective June 30, 2024. Retiring the Arts Iowa calendar website is necessary because the platform on which the site is built will soon be obsolete and no longer supportable. Additionally, traffic to the site has declined significantly in recent years as users increasingly find event information through the UI Events calendar (events.uiowa.edu) and your respective collegiate and departmental websites. Finally, the...

Join us at the Stanley Museum of Art on June 23 for our second Sundays with the Docents tour where Stanley docents create unique tours to share with our audiences throughout the year. Weird Science will be led by Docent Mary Blackwood who will explore how artists have been influenced by the culture, knowledge, and politics of the societies in which they live and work. Through the Stanley's collections, visitors will discover whether artists incorporate science in their art subconsciously or...

Iowa City’s biggest event of the year returns this summer! The Stanley Museum of Art will be part of the 7th Annual Downtown Block Party on Saturday, June 22, 2024 from 4–8 p.m. Stop by the Stanley kiosk to try your hand at painting a mural with us! Grab some chalk and let your imagination run wild or pick a card from our inspiration deck to get your ideas flowing!  The activity is inspired by Keith Haring's mural which is now on view at the Stanley Museum of Art through January 7, 2025. Keith...

Join us for a children's art-making workshop focused on the beloved book The Rainbow Fish. After listening to the story, participants will create their own beautiful, shimmery rainbow fish collage using metallic paper. Workshop led by Debra Marqusee. Stanley Creates is planned with families in mind; UI students are also welcome to attend. Children must be accompanied by an adult. Space is limited so please reserve your spot here.

First Round is a monthly gathering gives locals the opportunity to meet new people, socialize, and learn about the latest happenings in the arts, business, and culture sectors of our community. The Stanley Museum of Art is hosting First Round for the month of June and providing guests with their first beverage. Event begins at 5 p.m. followed by a panel discussion taking place from 5:30 to 6 p.m. Lauren Lessing will be in conversation with Jim Hayes about the latest exhibition at the Stanley, T...

The Stanley Museum of Art will be at the 2024 Iowa Arts Festival! Stop by our stall on Sunday, June 9 for a day of family-friendly art-making activities and learn more about what the Stanley has to offer!  The Iowa Arts Festival is an award-winning, weekend-long community celebration and Iowa City tradition that celebrated 40 years in 2023. The event features over 100 local, regional and national visual artists in the Art Fair, and on Saturday and Sunday, we feature youth artists ages 16-25 in...

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...

The Iowa City Gallery Walk is back this summer and once again begins at the Stanley! Kick start the Gallery Walk at the Stanley Museum of Art and experience the newest Keith Haring exhibition! Enjoy snacks, a cash bar, and music performed by Melanie Landsittel in the lobby. To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City celebrates Keith Haring's legacy and honors the many individuals who shaped his visits to Iowa City during the 1980s. It features the mural Haring painted in 1989 for Ernest...

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...

The Drawing Salon focuses on drawing artworks from the museum's collection. Each session will focus on a different artwork. 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 the gallery. Pencils and sketchbooks/paper are the only artmaking materials allowed in the galleries. The museum has golf pencils with erasers and clipboards for participants to use...

Join us at the Stanley Museum of Art on May 19 at noon for our inaugural Sundays with the Docents tour where Stanley docents create unique tours to share with our audiences throughout the year. What is a “Print?” will be led by Docent and former Adjunct Assistant Professor in Printmaking, Deanne Wortman. Deanne will share her experiences in the amazing world of printmaking. Visitors will examine printmaking history, materials, processes, and artists while being led through a tour of some of...

SANKO FA is a story that explores the complexity of identity and legacy: a struggling artist is presented with the opportunity to ascend to stardom if he completes a series of labors for a mysterious benefactor, leaving him at a crossroads.  Isaac Addai will conduct a reading of the play in the Museums Visual Classroom with objects from the collection on display.  SANKO FA is a solo performance play that is still being workshopped. The content for the story was inspired by the Asante artifacts...

Make the Stanley your study spot for finals week. We'll have free coffee, lemonade, punch, and snacks available all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). Stop by for a few hours to study for your exams: grab a snack, replenish your study supplies (we'll have post-its, highlighters, and more) and take a quick break—either by exploring the galleries or playing with a fidget toy.

Make the Stanley your study spot for finals week. We'll have free coffee, lemonade, punch, and snacks available all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). Stop by for a few hours to study for your exams: grab a snack, replenish your study supplies (we'll have post-its, highlighters, and more) and take a quick break—either by exploring the galleries or playing with a fidget toy.

Make the Stanley your study spot for finals week. We'll have free coffee, lemonade, punch, and snacks available all day Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday (10 a.m.–4 p.m.). Stop by for a few hours to study for your exams: grab a snack, replenish your study supplies (we'll have post-its, highlighters, and more) and take a quick break—either by exploring the galleries or playing with a fidget toy.

Following the grand opening of To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City, the Stanley Museum of Art invites you to a special event dedicated to the students of Horn Elementary School! Keith Haring painted the mural, A Book Full of Fun, especially for students to inspire them and show them that art is for everyone. This Sunday, we welcome students, staff, families, and friends from Horn Elementary and all schools across Iowa to celebrate Keith Haring's legacy and his connection to Iowa...

Join us for the grand opening of the exhibition, To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City. Opening on Keith Haring’s birthday, this exhibition celebrates the artist’s legacy and honors the many individuals who shaped his visits to Iowa City during the 1980s. The 1989 mural Haring painted for Ernest Horn Elementary School, which is on loan to the Stanley Museum of Art during the school’s renovation, anchors the exhibition and is accompanied by other works of art, photographs, and...

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...

This 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 health...