Galleries & Art Museums

Detail of a painting by Jenny Sammons from Visions of Lineage at Freeform Gallery.

FREEFORM GALLERY, 508 N. 2nd St., Fairfield. FreeformArtGallery.com.  Visions of Lineage. Jenny Sammons looks at her ancestral roots through the lens of vibrant color and geometric abstraction. Through May 17.

Exhibitions at Grinnell College Museum of Art: Left, Willie Cole in Knowledge Into Action, and right, BAX: The Bachelor of Arts Exhibition.

GRINNELL COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, 1108 Park St., Grinnell. (641) 269-4660. Knowledge Into Action: The Museum’s Collection as a Catalyst. Featuring artworks that have inspired students. Through May 19. BAX: The Bachelor of Arts Exhibition. April 17-May 19.

Beaded flags by Myrland Constant are on view at the Figge through May 4.

FIGGE ART MUSEUM, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport.(563) 345-6632. Myrland Constant: DRAPO. Constant has been creating drapo, or Vodou flags, for over 35 years, using beading techniques that she learned from her mother. Through May 4. Art Bridges: Partner Loan Network. Masterworks from the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art are paired with artworks from the Figge in thematic groupings. Through January 2026. Marvin Cone: Painter. Through June 8. Cara and Diego Romero: Tales of Futures Past. The acclaimed contemporary artists present Diego’s pottery and lithographs, and Cara’s evocative photographs. Through June 8.

Junior League Christmas Party, by Joan Liffring-Zug Bourret, at theCedar Rapids Museum of Art.CEDAR RAPIDS MUSEUM OF ART, 410 3rd Ave. S.E., Cedar Rapids. (319) 366-7503.  All Dressed Up: (and Down): Depictions of Clothing in the Collection. Clothing depicted in artworks can say so much about the person, the culture represented, and the artist’s technique. Over 50 pieces from the museum’s collection reflect the importance of clothing in art. Through May 18. Beyond the Prairie: Midwestern Art from the Collection. Longtime museum favorites share gallery space with contemporary artworks in this changing exhibition showcasing the work of artists inspired by life in Iowa and surrounding states. Ongoing. The Vessel: Form and Function. Featuring a wide variety of vessels from the permanent collection. Through March 30, 2025.

Film still from Tuan Andrew Nguyen’s The Boat People, 2020, from the exhibition Time Travelers at the Des Moines Art Center.

DES MOINES ART CENTER. 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines. (515) 277-4405. Figments and Phantoms. A selection of prints depicts the body are fragmented, distorted, or absent. Through April 20. Time Travelers. Featuring two ambitious large-scale installations: Mike Rottenberg’s Cheese and Tuan Andrew Ngugen’s The Boat People. Through May 11. Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa. Featuring paintings, metalwork, sculpture, and drapos (beaded and sequined banners), this exhibition showcases the rich holdings of Haitian art at the Waterloo Center for the Arts, the largest public collection of Haitian art in the U.S. April 18-September 7. Life Mask: A Celebration of Gifts from the Dale Jansen Estate. This enduring collection of 65 works donated to the DMAC demonstrates Jansen’s enthusiasm for American artists post World War II. April 25-August 31. Firelei Baez. June 13-September 21. The first North American survey dedicated to the richly layer work of Baez (born 1891, Dominican Republic.

STANLEY MUSEUM OF ART, 160 W. Burlington St., Iowa City. (319) 335-1727.  One An Other. With a deceptively lighthearted touch, Jiha Moon (b. 1973, South Korea) examines the entanglements of “globalization, identity, and the visual information overload of contemporary society.” Incorporating painting, drawing, collaged Hanji paper, and ceramics, One An Other is on view in the museum lobby. Moon received her MFA at the University of Iowa in 2002.  It’s a fine thing. Celebrating the resilience and creativity of Black Midwestern artists, this exhibition explores the rich and often overlooked landscape of the Black Midwest through works by Elizabeth Catlett, Kara Walker, Beauford Delaney, Betye Saar, and Sonya Clark. Through July 20. Homecoming. See new artworks and old favorites, now displayed in fresh ways that transcend genre or geopolitical organization and bring out the synergies between disparate pieces. Through July 2025. Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity. A key figure in the history of Black American art, Oubre (1916-2006)  received his MFA from the University of Iowa and is best known for his work with wire coast hangers to create modernist masterworks. August 26-December 7.

ICON GALLERY, 58 N. Main St., Fairfield. (641) 469-6252. Icon-art.org. Judy Bales. Opens May 2. Tantra Art from Udaipur: Shiva Linga Paintings from the Hudson Collection.  A selection of 13 paintings made by tantrika families from Rajasthan, India. Through March 28, 2026.

PUBLIC SPACE ONE, 225–229 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City. PublicSpaceOne.com. Jun Shi: The Backward Gaze. Through April 18.

Apollo and Venus, regarded as the most important Old Master painting in Iowa.

HOYT-SHERMAN THEATRE, 1501 Woodland Ave., Des Moines. (515) 244-0507. Notable artworks in Hoyt-Sherman’s collection are on view, including paintings by American artists George Inness, Thomas Moran, Elihu Vedder, and Frederick Frieseke. The highlight of the entire collection is Apollo and Venus by the Flemish artist Otto van Veen, which is regarded as the most important Old Master painting in the state of Iowa. In 2018, it was rediscovered in a storage closet by Executive Director Robert Warren and restored to its original beauty by Barry Bauman, an art conservator in Chicago. Permanent display.

SIOUX CITY ART CENTER, 225 Nebraska St., Sioux City. (712) 279-6272. Grant Wood’s Corn Room Mural. The Corn Room mural was one of four murals commissioned by Omaha businessman Eugene Eppley for his hotels in Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, and Sioux City. Originally part of the historical Martin Hotel, the Corn Room was created by Grant Wood in 1927, then lost for decades under paint and old wallpaper, only to be rediscovered in 1979. Ongoing.

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AMERICUS DIAMOND, corner of Main St. and Burlington, Fairfield. Featuring the artwork of Christopher Kufner.

AMANA ARTS GUILD. 1 block north of Highway 220, High Amana. (319) 622-3678.

ANOMALY GALLERY, 105 N. Court, Ottumwa. (641) 777-8446.

ART CENTER OF BURLINGTON, 301 Jefferson St., Burlington. (319) 754-8069.

CATICH GALLERY, Galvin Fine Arts Center, St. Ambrose University, 518 W. Locust St., Davenport. 563-333-6444.

CSPS, 1103 3rd St. SE, Cedar Rapids. (319) 364-1530.

DUBUQUE MUSEUM OF ART, 701 Locust St., Dubuque. (563) 557-1851. DBQArt.org.

FIGGE ART MUSEUM, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport.(563) 345-6632.

FORT MADISON ART CENTER, 1314 Mulberry Ave. (319) 372-8780.

FREEFORM GALLERY, 508 N. 2nd Street, Fairfield.

GILDED PEAR GALLERY, 808 Third Ave SE, Cedar Rapids. (319) 366-0205. GildedPearGallery.com.

GRINNELL COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, 1108 Park St., Grinnell. (641) 269-4660.

INDIAN HILLS ART GALLERY, Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa. (641) 683-5144.

JANALYN HANSON WHITE GALLERY. Mount Mercy University, 1330 Elmhurst Dr. NE, Cedar Rapids, IA. (319) 363-8213.

MARVIN CONE GALLERY. Coe College, 1220 First Avenue NE, Cedar Rapids. (319) 399-8500. 

MOUNT VERNON CREATES. 121 1st St. NW, Mount Vernon. (319) 895-2682.

MUSCATINE ART CENTER, 1314 Mulberry Ave., Muscatine. (563) 263-8282.

OCTAGON CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 427 Douglas Ave., Ames. (515) 232-5331.

OLSON LARSON GALLERIES, 542 5th St, West Des Moines. (515)-277-6734. 

PUBLIC SPACE ONE, 225–229 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City. PublicSpaceOne.com.

SIOUX CITY ART CENTER, 225 Nebraska St., Sioux City. (712) 279-6272.

STANLEY MUSEUM OF ART, 160 W. Burlington St., Iowa City. (319) 335-1727.

TAAG GALLERY, 1041 Arthur St., Iowa City.  (319) 855-4755.

WATERLOO CENTER FOR THE ARTS, 225 Commercial St., Waterloo. (319) 291-4490.

WEGE GALLERY, Wege Center for the Arts, Maharishi International University, 1000 N. 4th St., Fairfield.