Cozy up for an evening of cross-stitch, snacks, and good times at the Stanley. Free and open to all!

The Stanley has partnered with ICDD for the upcoming Free Week – a winter festival offering free programming at over 15 venues, celebrating Downtown Iowa City’s Cultural & Entertainment District from Feb. 16 to 22, 2026.

Snack and supplies provided.

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...

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.

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...

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.