This February, the Stanley has partnered with students at the Afro-American Cultural Center to celebrate Black History Month through two Crafternoons. Our Friday, Feb. 13 and Friday, Feb. 27 Crafternoons will be collaborative events, focused on helping highlight Black voices and cultural heritage through making activities and community building. Join us on Feb. 13 for self-led crafting, and on Feb. 27 for a led craft from the Afro-American Cultural Center's executive directors.

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Need a break at...

The winter season wouldn’t be complete without a snowy art project on your day off from school! Children will create their very own winter wonderland using cutting, pasting, and coloring techniques that will develop their understanding of depth, scale, and composition.

Space is limited; please reserve your spot at https://uiowa.doubleknot.com/event/schools-out-at-the-stanley-winter-houses/3114201.

Please arrive in time for children to settle in and begin the project at 2 p.m.

School's Out at the...

Need a break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons for Crafternoons. Bring whatever low-mess craft you're currently working on (a sketchbook, knitting, embroidery, coloring books, origami — whatever you're into!) or just show up and use some of the various supplies we'll have on hand. No experience required! Light snacks provided. Stay for five minutes or hang out for a while, it's up to you.

The Stanley welcomes visitors to a grand opening reception during the Spring Gallery Walk. Join us to celebrate the opening of two new exhibitions, The Black Gold Tapestry, and Flex: Masculinities in the Arts of Global Africa. Enjoy refreshments and music in the lobby, and head up to the galleries to experience the stunning new exhibitions on view. This program is free and open to all.

Join the UI Libraries, the Stanley Museum of Art, and the UI Museum of Natural History for the Iowa City Downtown District's Spring Gallery Walk! This annual free event invites everyone to take a self-guided tour of shops and galleries showcasing local art and exhibitions in downtown Iowa City.

Main Library Gallery: Visit Orchestrating Community: The Public Service of Iowa Conductor James Dixon to see photographs, letters, artifacts, and more from Special Collections and Archives and the Rita...

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...

Explore a selection of items from the University of Iowa Libraries’ Special Collections and Archives related to embroidery, weaving, and textiles design and production.

Spend some time reviewing materials like Rosey Grier’s needlepoint for men, a textile production map from Germany, and artist books of thread and fabric on display in the lobby. We will also have a selection of books from the Art Library to inspire, and a craft activity related to the theme. Bring a friend to experience the pop-up...

Join us for our next installment of Night at the Museum, a series of monthly events for UI students that occurs on Thursday nights when the museum is open late.

This month, our session is aimed at helping students destress around midterms by making and viewing art. To do this, we're teaming up with Dana Keeton, a local artist and art therapist.

All night in the lobby, we'll have snacks and art materials provided for a lightly guided activity. Dana will take interested students to the galleries for...

Need a break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons for Crafternoons. Bring whatever low-mess craft you're currently working on (a sketchbook, knitting, embroidery, coloring books, origami — whatever you're into!) or just show up and use some of the various supplies we'll have on hand. No experience required! Light snacks provided. Stay for five minutes or hang out for a while, it's up to you.

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. Stools...

Need a break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons for Crafternoons. Bring whatever low-mess craft you're currently working on (a sketchbook, knitting, embroidery, coloring books, origami — whatever you're into!) or just show up and use some of the various supplies we'll have on hand. No experience required! Light snacks provided. Stay for five minutes or hang out for a while, it's up to you.

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 Stanley presents a free double feature screening in collaboration with FilmScene. Head over to the ped mall to watch back-to-back screenings of A Dessert for Constance and Towards Tenderness, both films touch on the subject of masculinity and the lives of African immigrants in France.

This free programming is related the exhibition, Flex: Masculinities in the Arts of Global Africa, on view at the Stanley from February 28, 2026 - July 26, 2026.

A DESSERT FOR CONSTANCE
(1981, France, 63 min)...

This talk examines mourning and worldmaking through community action and art in the wake of violence, dispossession, and collective loss. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork with communities in southern Colombia and rural Maine, Tate considers the intersections, possibilities and limitations of rights activism and art through an exploration of the visual repertoires and material practices of Colombian sculptor Doris Salcedo and Passamaquoddy artist Jeremy Frey. This program is free and open to all...

One Day for Iowa returns on Wednesday, March 25, marking 10 years of Hawkeyes coming together to support what matters most at the University of Iowa.

Our 24-hour online giving day is a chance for alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends to make an impact—supporting scholarships, research, health care, the arts, student experiences, and more. With special matching and unlocking opportunities throughout the day, every gift has the power to go further.

Celebrate a decade of generosity. Be part...

Join us on Friday, March 27 as we partner with the Cross Stitch and Embroidery Club. Cross stitch and embroidery materials will be provided, and members of the club's executive board will be available to answer questions and offer small demonstrations. We encourage crafters of all levels to come and start a new project or work on an existing one with us.

Learn more about the technique Sandra Sawatzky used to create The Black Gold Tapestry on view at the Stanley through June.

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Need a break at the...

Need a break at the end of the week? Swing by the Stanley on Friday afternoons for Crafternoons. Bring whatever low-mess craft you're currently working on (a sketchbook, knitting, embroidery, coloring books, origami — whatever you're into!) or just show up and use some of the various supplies we'll have on hand. No experience required! Light snacks provided. Stay for five minutes or hang out for a while, it's up to you.

Make your very own collection of weighted easter eggs that won't fall over. Use them to play, decorate, or hide around the house!

Space is limited; please reserve your spot at https://uiowa.doubleknot.com/event/schools-out-at-the-stanley-wobbly-eggs/3114202

Please arrive in time for children to settle in and begin the project at 2 p.m.

School's Out at the Stanley is offered on days when Iowa City Community Schools District has no classes. Art projects are developed with school-aged children in mind...

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...