Current Partnerships
by Iowa City Foreign Relations Council
The Iowa City Foreign Relations Council (ICFRC) is an independent, nonpartisan organization that fosters global awareness and civic dialogue through free, public programming. Hosting 20–25 programs annually, ICFRC brings scholars, journalists, artists, and community leaders together to explore pressing international and local issues through a thematic speaker series. Recent and upcoming programs address topics such as immigration and deportation, global authoritarianism, journalism’s role in democracy, and cross-cultural community building, creating accessible spaces for informed discussion and lifelong learning about the global issues that shape our world.
by The Tolerance Alliance
The Tolerance Alliance is dedicated to education and remembrance through public programs that confront the history and legacy of the Holocaust while promoting empathy, understanding, and tolerance. The organization has brought Holocaust survivors to Sioux City to speak with middle school students and has presented films, live symphony performances, and theatrical productions at the Sioux City Orpheum for students, families, and the broader community. All events are free and open to the public. Current initiatives include Violins of Hope, presented in partnership with the Jewish Federations of the Quad Cities and Des Moines, featuring student and evening concerts at the Orpheum as well as a string quartet performance at the Holocaust Rails exhibit.
by Azubuike African American Council for the Arts
Azubuike African American Council for the Arts is a nonprofit dedicated to empowering youth, preserving African American history, and fostering community dialogue through the arts. A recent signature project, Mami & the Old Man, is a documentary tracing the Mississippi River from its source to the Gulf, illuminating untold Black stories of resilience, cultural expression, and environmental stewardship along its banks. In addition to filmmaking, Azubuike offers free programs including youth film education, community art classes, public film screenings with discussions, and cultural preservation projects that strengthen cultural pride and connection throughout the Quad Cities region.
by Poetry &
Poetry Palooza! is scheduled for April 17-18, 2026, in Des Moines, Iowa. The mission is to celebrate poetry and poets and to the important work of building community through this art form. Young and emerging poets, esteemed educators, and established Iowa writers will complement a cadre of regional talent by offering their own readings and performance, including a poetry slam competition.
by Iowa Museum Association
STEPS-IMA provides a learning cohort structure to enable small and mid-sized history organizations to grow in best practices. The program uses the AASLH STEPS curriculum in a hybrid live/online format that delivers resources, including pre-recorded and live presentations, facilitated by an instructor and robust mentor program. The IMA currently delivers the program to a cohort of 12 individuals representing six different museums and supported by six mentors, over a 24-month period.
PAST PROGRAMS UNDER PART ONE FUNDING
Agriculture, Climate Change, & the Death-by-Design of Rural Iowa
by Art Cullen
This presentation by our 2017 Pulitzer Prize winner in Editorial Writing will address environmental and agricultural issues near to the heart of Iowans mainly through the vehicle of the Des Moines Water Works Lawsuit against Buena Vista, Calhoun, and Sac counties over nitrate pollution of the Raccoon River. It will tell how The Storm Lake Times tried to unveil who was actually running the litigation – not the Buena Vista County Board of Supervisors, but the Koch Brothers and Monsanto. The presentation will also elaborate on themes from Aldo Leopold, the great conservation philosopher, about how we think we can engineer our way into prosperity but we seem to always end up in the ditch.
Iowa’s Claim to Prize-Winning Authors
by Kurt Meyer
Among the distinguished authors with an Iowa connection are Pulitzer Prize winners Hamlin Garland (1860–1940) and Edna Ferber (1885–1968). Both spent significant childhood years in Iowa—Garland in northeast Iowa, and Ferber in Ottumwa. And both drew on their Iowa backgrounds throughout prolific writing careers. Meyer’s presentation will introduce people to these two often-overlooked/forgotten authors: their lives, their major works, their pioneering careers, and their importance in the literary world, during their prime years as well as today. Although they led very different lives, Meyer will focus on shared talents that made them successful and the personal and professional qualities they held in common.Using Garland and Ferber as examples, Meyer will also suggest informal ways that Iowans can encourage and promote future generations of Pulitzer Prize winners.
The Art of Conservation: A Visit with Ding Darling
by Tom Milligan
In this presentation, Jay N. “Ding” Darling (performed by Milligan) visits with the audience, as an old friend, in his 11th office at The Des Moines Register. Beginning with his early years in Sioux City where as a young boy he became aware of the natural world around him while developing skills as an editorial cartoonist, he recalls his remarkable life journey. His story continues to include two Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoons for the Register and a remarkable career as a nationally-known conservationist. From the introduction of “The Duck Stamp” to the creation of the National Wildlife Federation, Darling’s influence was felt not only through his cartoons but his action as well. Considered by many to be one of the most important members of the modern conservation movement in the first half of the 20th century, the impact of his work is still felt today.
Past Partnerships
Voices Productions
Creative Placemaking
Dubuque, IA
June 1 – July 1, 2018
$20,000
This award provides funding for Phase II of a three-year project, which launched last year with a series of large-scale murals within the cultural corridor of downtown Dubuque. This second phase engages public enrollment in similar programs. During the week of June 25-30, Voices Productions will present a weeklong, no-cost workshop for up to 50 applicants who are interested in learning how to shape the physical and social character of a streetscape or neghborhood by making and strategically placing art in the public sphere. The workshop will consist of classroom lectures and hands-on experience culminating in a four-day project of painting two large-scale murals under the guidance of master muralists.
Fullhart Carnegie Charitable Trust
Carnegie Library Museum Upgrades
Perry, IA
April 23 – November 30, 2018
$5,182
This award will enrich the Carnegie Library Museum in Perry by providing for the addition of three freestanding display walls, which procide space for interactive, rotating exhibits, research, historic photos, and stories. Built in 1904, the Carnegie Library is Perry’s oldest standing public building and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The building underwent renovations in 2004, but those renovations did not include space for changing exhibits, which are necessary for attracting repeat visitors and ensuring sustainability for a small town museum.
Okoboji Summer Theatre
Deaf Access Workshops for Production of The Miracle Worker
Okoboji, IA
June 27 – July 31, 2018
$7,020
This July the Okoboji Summer Theatre will produce a performance of The Miracle Worker. In preparation for this production, Humanities Iowa has granted an award for the consultation services of two deaf access experts to train the guest artist team and rehears with them. The experts, Donna Salamoff (former co-director of deaf access for Imagination State) and Lisa Agogliati (former access director for Arena Stage in Washington D.C.), will conduct workshops addressing issues of Basic Sign Language, Facial Expression, Gesturing, and Fingerspelling.
National Tolerance Week
Tolerance Week: A Not So Silent Resistance
April 9-14, 2018
$20,000
The mission of Tolerance Week is to educate, enlighten, and inspire. Using documentary films, live performances, and lectures, Tolerance Week reaches students, families, teachers, and community leaders about the Holocaust and other injustices. It inspires teachers and students to identify sources of discrimination and injustice within their communities and to work to eliminate them.
This will be the 12th Annual Tolerance Week, and all events are free and open to the public. A featured guest of this year’s programming will be Ms. Inge Auerbacher, a Holocaust survivor. Visit the Tolerance Week website for more information.
The National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium
“River of Innovation” Exhibit
Dubuque, IA
Spring 2019
$20,000
“River of Innovation” aims to inspire the next generation of river explorers and will be comprised of a 19th century belt-driven machine shop, a series of hands-on exhibits and a modern maker space. These elements will be combined with educational components to form a cohesive and immersive set of experiences for visitors and learners while balancing the Museum & Aquarium’s historical, cultural and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) concentrations.
Des Moines Metro Opera
2022
Inspired by the world premiere of A Thousand Acres, this series of photographic exhibits, art shows, discussions, plays, book clubs and site-specific events will explore the themes and connections presented by the novel: patriarchy, the passing of land through family and the ties that bind us.
Please visit our events calendar and dmmo.org/acres for more information, updates and added events.
Siouxland Historical Railroad Association
00th Anniversary History of the Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District
Sioux City, IA
October 2017-September 2018
$40,000
The Milwaukee Railroad Shops Historic District is one of several preserved steam-era railroad shop environments in North America. It celebrated its 100th anniversary this year. The Siouxland Historic Railroad Association will develop educational programs around the history of the site in Sioux City: the former Sioux City Roundhouse, Repair Shops and Engine Terminal, including a permanent exhibit, public programs and a pictorial history book.
Blanden Charitable Foundation
“Daniel Rhodes”
Fort Dodge, IA
September-November, 2017
$10,000
The works of Fort Dodge native Daniel Rhodes will be on exhibit at the Blanden Art Museum. This exhibit will feature a wide variety of his work including ceramic sculptures, drawings and photos. It will highlight a visual story of creation and exploration. This exhibit is part of the 85th anniversary celebration of the Blanden Foundation.
