Why Iowa?

Nestled in the heart of Iowa's beautiful arts campus, on the banks of the Iowa River, generations of artists and art historians have launched their careers and artistic journeys here. Join them.

Create a foundation

Advance your work

Learn from experts

You belong here

Be part of a legacy of excellence—and the birthplace of the MFA. Learn from faculty who are leading artists, designers, and scholars. Create and learn in facilities that are architectural masterpieces.

Create your story

When you make art at Iowa—or explore the ways that art shapes and reflects culture—you'll blaze a unique artistic journey. Make Iowa your artistic and academic home. Join us.

printmaking class

Birthplace of the MFA

The first university to accept creative works as graduate theses

Our program also pioneered the practice of bringing established artists to the faculty.

MFA student with work

# 7

National Ranking: Printmaking

U.S. News & World Report, 2020

student painting a large canvas

# 23

National Ranking: Best Fine Arts Programs

U.S. News & World Report, 2020

Events

Student exhibitions

Visiting artists and scholars

Susan Metrican, Visiting Artist in Painting and Drawing promotional image

Susan Metrican, Visiting Artist in Painting and Drawing

Friday, October 16, 2026 6:00pm
Visual Arts Building

Susan Metrican is an artist living in Fairfield, IA via Boston, NYC, Toronto, and Bangkok. She makes cross-disciplinary work rooted in painting. Metrican received an MFA from MassArt, and BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute. She has attended residencies at Skowhegan, Shandaken: Storm King, and Interlude. In 2026, she received the Iowa Artist Fellowship. Metrican’s work has been included in solo and group exhibitions nationally, with a solo show at Specialist Gallery, Seattle, WA in November...

Giorgos Kontis, Grant Wood Fellow in Painting and Drawing, 2026-2027 promotional image

Giorgos Kontis, Grant Wood Fellow in Painting and Drawing, 2026-2027

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 5:30pm
Visual Arts Building

The work of Giorgos Kontis focuses on abstract painting, on its relationship to a sense of a minimum and to a language that is both latent and elliptical. The function of the painted image and the relationship it may build with the viewer become central in his practice. Giorgos studied at the Athens School of Fine Arts, at the Academy of Visual Arts (AdBK) in Munich and at the University of Arts (UdK) in Berlin. He holds an MFA from the St.Joost Academy in Breda, the Netherlands, and a PhD in...

Jenni Sorkin, Visiting Artist in Ceramics promotional image

Jenni Sorkin, Visiting Artist in Ceramics

Tuesday, October 27, 2026 6:00pm
Visual Arts Building

Noted historian and critic Jenni Sorkin will present a lecture in VAB E 125 at 6pm on October 27th, on her recent work in residence at The Archie Bray Foundation, as well as on current projects. Sorkin is Chair and Professor of Art History at The University of California, Santa Barbara, and the author of Live Form: Women, Ceramics, and Community, Art and California, and is on the editorial board of The Journal of Modern Craft. Her writing has appeared in Art Forum, Art Journal, Frieze, among...

Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt, Visiting Artists in Ceramics promotional image

Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt, Visiting Artists in Ceramics

Monday, November 2 to Friday, November 6, 2026 (all day)
Visual Arts Building

Join Ceramics in welcoming Handwork Visiting Artists, Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt! We have many exciting events planned for the week of November 2-6th, and we hope you’ll join us as you can.

Artist Demonstrations, W221 VAB
Monday, November 2nd 8:45am-5pm
Tuesday, November 3rd 8:45-noon
Friday, November 6th 9:30am-1pm

Artist talk, Tuesday, November 3rd, 4:30-5:30pm E125 VAB

Kiln Talk, Thursday, November 5th, 1:30-3pm W221 VAB

Artist Round Table Discussion: How to be a Self...

Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt, Visiting Artists in Ceramics promotional image

Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt, Visiting Artists in Ceramics

Tuesday, November 3 to Friday, November 6, 2026 (all day)
Visual Arts Building

Join Ceramics in welcoming Handwork Visiting Artists, Bandana Pottery: Naomi Dalglish and Michael Hunt! We have many exciting events planned for the week of November 2-6th, and we hope you’ll join us as you can.

Artist Demonstrations, W221 VAB
Monday, November 2nd 8:45am-5pm
Tuesday, November 3rd 8:45-noon
Friday, November 6th 9:30am-1pm

Artist talk, Tuesday, November 3rd, 4:30-5:30pm E125 VAB

Kiln Talk, Thursday, November 5th, 1:30-3pm W221 VAB

Artist Round Table Discussion: How to be a Self...

News and announcements

Meet four CLAS researchers exploring how people understand themselves and the world

Friday, October 2, 2026
Faculty across the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, including SAAHD assistant professor Tony Orrico, discuss the questions driving their research, what brought them to higher education, and the interests that shape their lives beyond their work.

School of Art, Art History, and Design October 2026 Newsletter

Thursday, October 1, 2026
Read the University of Iowa School of Art, Art History, and Design October 2026 Newsletter.

The ‘Iowa Idea’ takes flight in Iceland

Monday, September 28, 2026
University of Iowa students took an ambitious art-and-science course into the field in Iceland, where high-altitude balloon launches tested their technical skills, creative instincts, and ability to work across disciplines in unpredictable conditions.