Rebecca Drolen (b. 1983) is an artist and educator working in Arkansas. Her photographs are concerned with how individuals visually assemble their identity and the constructed ideals placed on gendered bodily performance. Her work playfully explores the expansive nature of photography in contemporary art as it incorporates built spaces, assemblage and performance.

Drolen’s work has been shown in group and solo exhibitions on a national and international level, within noteworthy venues such as the...

Communal Water, Invisible Labor: Modeling the Social Impact of Pompeii's Street Fountains
Lecture by Matthew Notarian, Associate Professor of Classics, Hiram College

The remarkable preservation of the Roman city of Pompeii provides unprecedented insight into an aqueduct-fed urban water system. Visitors often marvel at the city’s network of public street fountains, but few consider the practical consequences of the tedious but essential labor required to transport water into living spaces...

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...

Burying Tutankhamun: Ritual, Politics, and the Making of a King
Lecture by Nicholas Brown, University of Iowa

Abstract:

This talk explores the state funeral in ancient Egypt through the burial of Tutankhamun, one of the few nearly intact royal burials ever discovered. Dr. Brown will analyze the funerary procession scene from Tutankhamun’s tomb, examining how the royal funeral functioned not only as a religious ritual but also as a carefully constructed expression of politics, power, and succession...

Drawing Salon with Robert Caputo is a monthly workshop held at the museum on Sunday afternoons. It is free to attend and suitable for all skill levels. Registration is required to secure a spot.

Each session focuses on drawing artworks from the museum's collection, led by Iowa City-based artist, Robert Caputo. 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...