Art & Write Night promotional image

Art & Write Night

Friday, August 7, 2026 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 and...

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, July 24, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, July 17, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Stanley Creates | Floral Garden Sculpture promotional image

Stanley Creates | Floral Garden Sculpture

Saturday, July 11, 2026 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

Spend your Saturday at the Stanley with the kids and make their museum experience memorable. Children will experiment with stacking, bending and connecting materials to create a beautiful garden.

Space is limited; please reserve your spot at https://uiowa.doubleknot.com/event/stanley-creates/3144887

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

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, July 10, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, June 26, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Stanley Creates | Uncatalogued Species of the Animal Kingdom promotional image

Stanley Creates | Uncatalogued Species of the Animal Kingdom

Saturday, June 20, 2026 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

Spend your Saturday at the Stanley with the kids and make their museum experience memorable. Children will experiment with stacking, bending and connecting materials to create their own kind of curious critters.

Space is limited; please reserve your spot at https://uiowa.doubleknot.com/event/stanley-creates/3144889

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

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, June 19, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, June 12, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Keynote Panel Event promotional image

Keynote Panel Event

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Hancher Auditorium
Please join us for a special public keynote panel exploring Iowa City as a creative ecosystem, opening the 2026 Association of Academic Museums and Galleries (AAMG) Conference. All are welcome to this free event featuring University of Iowa leaders in writing, museums, anthropology, and the arts in conversation about how place shapes creativity and collaboration in our community. All are welcome.
Summer 2026 Downtown Gallery Walk promotional image

Summer 2026 Downtown Gallery Walk

Friday, June 5, 2026 5:00pm to 8:00pm
Stanley Museum of Art

Join us for the 2026 Downtown Summer Gallery Walk at the Stanley Museum of Art! The museum will be open late for a special evening of art, food, and exploration.

Stop by to discover the latest student-curated exhibition, Dis/Comfort: Confronting Histories of African Art in the United States, and see Jiha Moon’s iconic mural, One An Other, one last time before it is deinstalled this summer. The mural that has become a familiar part of the museum lobby incorporates painting, drawing, collaged Hanji...

Friday Crafternoons promotional image

Friday Crafternoons

Friday, June 5, 2026 1:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Stanley Family Day promotional image

Stanley Family Day

Saturday, May 30, 2026 10:00am to 4:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art
It's Family Day at the Stanley! Spend your Saturday at the museum as we host a full day of artmaking activities, tours for all ages, and refreshments.

This program is free and open to all, registration is required for the artmaking workshop. We are also offering free parking all day for visitors so that you can stay as long you like!
Drawing Salon with Robert Caputo promotional image

Drawing Salon with Robert Caputo

Sunday, May 17, 2026 2:00pm to 3:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art

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...

Performance | Interwoven Worlds: A Dance Journey Between Three Cities in Iowa promotional image

Performance | Interwoven Worlds: A Dance Journey Between Three Cities in Iowa

Thursday, May 14, 2026 6:30pm to 7:30pm
Stanley Museum of Art
Experience a unique live performance in the museum lobby as part of Interwoven Worlds: A Dance Journey Between Three Cities in Iowa. This collaborative project blends dance, visual art, and film inspired by works from three Iowa art museums.

At the Stanley Museum of Art, this performance brings Elizabeth Catlett’s artwork Which Way? to life through an original dance work, the second of a three part movement.