Galleries & Art Museums

See new work by Samantha Box at the Des Moines Art Center through January 19.

DES MOINES ART CENTER. 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines. (515) 277-4405. Samantha Box: Caribbean Dreams. The Jamaican-born, New York-based photographer explores the concept of diaspora in her newest work, mining her personal experiences of displacement, migration, and the search for new homes. Through January 19. As You See Me: 20th Century Mexican Photography. Work by luminaries of Mexican photography follows themes of mortality and ephemerality from the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20 to the 1990s. Through December 15. Minor Key. Photographs from “The Invisible Archive” along with works from the permanent collection build on the emotional complexity of music in a minor key. Through January 5.

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, as she puts it, “globalization, identity, and the visual information overload of contemporary society.” Incorporating painting, drawing, collaged Hanji paper, and ceramics, One An Other is now on view in the museum lobby. Moon received her MFA at the University of Iowa in 2002.  To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City. The 1989 mural Keith Haring painted for Ernest Horn Elementary School anchors this exhibition that honors the many individuals who shaped Haring’s visits to Iowa City during the 1980s. Through January 5, 2025. 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.

Detail from Contemplation, 1993, by Jacob Lawrence from the exhibition And Gladly Teach: The Museum as a Classroom, opening September 26 at Grinnell Coillege Museum of Art. (© 2022 The Jacob and Gwendolyn Knight Lawrence Foundation, Seattle)

GRINNELL COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART, 1108 Park St., Grinnell. (641) 269-4660. And Gladly Teach: The Museum as a Classroom. Works from the museum’s ever-growing art collection, from ancient to contemporary, are featured. Through December 15.

DES MOINES ART CENTER. 4700 Grand Ave., Des Moines. (515) 277-4405. As You See Me: 20th Century Mexican Photography. Work by luminaries of Mexican photography follows themes of mortality and ephemerality from the Mexican Revolution of 1910-20 to the 1990s. Through December 15. Minor Key. Photographs from “The Invisible Archive” along with works from the permanent collection build on the emotional complexity of music in a minor key. Through January 5. Samantha Box: Caribbean Dreams. The Jamaican-born photographer explores the concept of diaspora in her newest work. Through January 19.

ICON GALLERY, 58 N. Main St., Fairfield. (641) 469-6252. Icon-art.org. Transformational Visions. A small selection if Shiva Linga paintings from the Hudson Collection are juxtaposed with modern abstract photographs. Through August 29, 2025.

CEDAR RAPIDS MUSEUM OF ART, 410 3rd Ave. S.E., Cedar Rapids. (319) 366-7503. A More Perfect Union: Political Art from the Collection.  Artists have grappled with political concerns for hundreds of years. Works from the collection show how artists have responded. Through January 5. 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.

FIGGE ART MUSEUM, 225 W. 2nd St., Davenport.(563) 345-6632. 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 4, 2026. Dave Greber: Stilllives II: Vignette. Dave Greber uses the fast-paced visual vocabulary of the digital world to create mesmerizing video works. This exhibition is inspired by the act of setting a dinner table. Through January 12, 2025.

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.

FREEFORM GALLERY, 508 N. 2nd Street, Fairfield. Sasha Luse: Moving Color. Ethereal, abstract earth-pigment paintings. Closing reception Sept. 6. Sun Chasing and Other Adventures. Printmaking show feat. new work by Ananda Kesler and friends from Chile and Mexico. Sept. 13–Oct. 4.

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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.