Join us for an informal, guided tour of the Stanley Museum of Art. Our team of docents will lead you through the galleries, exploring highlights from our collection. Perfect for small groups or walk-in visitors, this tour offers a flexible and engaging way to learn about the collection.

No reservations required. Simply drop in and join us for an hour of art appreciation but note that space is limited.

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...

After a welcome from Grant Wood Country Forum director Elaine Mattingly, Grant Wood Art Colony director Maura Pilcher will discuss the new partnership between the Forum and the University of Iowa followed by an update on the Grant Wood Catalogue Raisonné project.

"The Recipe: Introduction to All Things Grant Wood Country Forum," by Elaine Mattingly

Elaine Mattingly’s connection to all things Grant Wood goes back six generations in the Anamosa, Stone City, Viola and Cedar Rapids areas of Iowa. She...

"The Couple with the Pitchfork: The Back Story to A Forthcoming Book," Wanda Corn and Joni Kinsey

Wanda Corn is a scholar of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American art and photography. Having earned a BA (1963), MA (1965) and Ph.D. (1974) from New York University, Professor Corn taught at Washington Square College, the University of California, Berkeley, and Mills College before moving to Stanford University in Palo Alto, California in 1980. At Stanford she held the university's...

Join the 2025–2026 Grant Wood Fellows artists for an evening of discussion about their work and research. The event will be accompanied by light refreshments.

Panel members:

Ada Friedman (Painting & Drawing)

Elizabeth Claire Rose (Printmaking)

Kyle Marshall (Interdisciplinary Performance—Dance)

The Grant Wood Art Colony seeks to provide a creative home for the next generation of artists and continue Grant Wood’s creative advocacy in the School of Art & Art History and the Division of Performing Arts...

"Grant Wood On the Radar in the ‘60s and 70s" by Elaine Mattingly

Mattingly will discuss her research into Grant Wood's resurgence during the 1960s and '70s, including the first Grant Wood Art Festival and a teaser for Stranded in Stone City, a new musical of which Mattingly is writer/producer/editor.

Elaine Mattingly’s connection to all things Grant Wood goes back six generations in the Anamosa, Stone City, Viola and Cedar Rapids areas of Iowa. She presses into service her experience as a...

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...

"Grant Wood and Hollywood" by Dorothy Bunting Montgomery and Debbie Beilstein

Learn about a 1940 Hollywood art happening in which nine Associated American Artists created twelve paintings. That Hollywood commission was the largest of Grant Wood’s career and resulted in perhaps his least-known painting, Sentimental Ballad. Plus, hear from a relative of Grant Wood, Debbie Beilstein.

Dorothy Bunting Montgomery is a writer, blogger and podcast host whose specialty is in stories of Iowa.

Debbie...

Kick of your Valentine's Day celebration at the Stanley Museum of Art with love-themed tours led by docents.

Tours start at 2:00 pm followed by refreshments in the lobby. Perfect for those wishing for a pre-dinner activity and those who prefer to spend a cozy evening at home after enjoying some art.

Space is limited; registration recommended. Register at https://uiowa.doubleknot.com/event/valentines-tour/3128647.

Tour time 2:00 - 3:00 pm

Refreshments 3:00 - 4:00 pm

Photo by Grace Troutman.

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...

"Grant Wood: Seriously Silly" by Tara Templeman

Gain insight into the Linn County History Center's newest exhibit that focuses on the humor and satire of Grant Wood's genius.

Tara Templeman is the Curator and Collection Manager at The History Center, a role they have loved for six years. They received two Bachelor of Science degrees in Biology and Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of New Mexico, graduating Cum Laude with a certificate in Museum Studies. They received a Master’s of...

"Wild and Tame Flowers: Context, Symbolism and Musings on Possible Meanings in Grant Wood’s Flower Lithographs," by Thomas Harvran

Havran will explore the paired prints, Wild Flowers and Tame Flowers, during this talk and share an original poem inspired by the works.

Thomas Havran, occasional artist and writer, but perpetually obsessed plant nerd, cultivates a simple life within Grant Wood’s “Young Corn” landscape near Amana, Iowa.

"The Book’s the Thing: Grant Wood’s Book Covers," by Paul C. Juhl

Paul C. Juhl is a graduate of the University of Iowa, Iowa City, with majors in history and education; holds a master’s Degree in College Student Personnel Work from the University of Northern Iowa and has completed additional graduate work at the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. He is a retired educator (teacher, counselor and administrator) in public and private schools in Iowa and Switzerland and earned Iowa High School...

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...

"Grant Wood and the Paradox of Art for Everybody,” by Joe Coffey

Joe Coffey is a Chicago-based writer who examines Grant Wood’s legacy through a dual lens of journalistic storytelling and critical cultural analysis. With a background in television news and a Master’s in Journalism & Mass Communication from the University of Iowa, his work is informed by both a reporter’s eye for narrative and a scholar’s engagement with cultural context. His connection to the material is also personal: for nearly...