Event Details We invite you to join the Des Moines Art Center in welcoming artist Jeffrey Gibson as the featured speaker of the annual Fingerman Lecture series. Gibson (American, born 1972) is an interdisciplinary artist, curator, and convener celebrated for his painting, installation, video, and performance work. For over two decades, he has explored how […]
The Stuart Public Library will host Darcy Maulsby on April 11, 2026, for a Humanities Iowa Speakers Bureau program. Maulsby takes audiences on a journey along the historic Lincoln Highway, better known today as Highway 30. Developed more than a century ago, the Lincoln Highway transformed travel in Iowa and across America. In this engaging presentation, Maulsby shares stories of innovation, […]
Join the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies at the University of Iowa for this event, where Mercedes Bern-Klug (Social Work, CLAS) and Amy Colbert (Business) will discuss aging. A short musical program will open the event.
6-on-6 Girl’s Basketball in Iowa: Traditions, Transitions, and LegaciesFor most of the 20th century, Iowa was known for its devotion to a unique form of women’s sport known as 6-on-6 girls’ basketball. As other states abandoned 6-on-6 in the 1970s, Iowa remained committed to this half-court game until 1993, when the final 6-player championship was […]
Event Details Join historian Bill Douglas as he explores how efforts to establish religious norms in Iowa were balanced by the need to cooperate with people from the diverse religious traditions that made Iowa home. The Iowa History 101 webinars share Iowa stories and the history of the state through a cultural history lens on […]
Hear from poets of all ages and backgrounds, including 2025-26 Iowa Student Poet Ambassador Daniel Somotochukwu Umemezie, at the Poetry in Public Reading on the last day of the Iowa City Book Festival. This event is free and open to the public. Find more details at iowacityofliterature.org/event/poetry-in-public-reading/
Celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day with the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council! Join Leah Slick-Driscoll and Stephanie BadSoldier Snow of the Meskwaki Nation as they share how their community is elevating Native voices—especially youth—through food and language. This conversation will explore how longstanding indigenizing practices strengthen sovereignty, celebrate heritage, and challenge the ongoing legacies of colonialism. […]
The Malvern Public Library will host Jeff Stein on April 13, 2026 for a Humanities Iowa Speakers Bureau program. Stein—an award-winning author, historian, and broadcaster—shares the groundbreaking story of how radio and television developed in Iowa and shaped life across the nation. Based on his book Making Waves, the presentation features original broadcasts, photographs, and memorabilia, while inviting audience members to reflect […]
Event Details Presented in recognition of LGBTQ+ History Month, join Ben Millett, the Des Moines Art Center’s 2025 Iowa Artist, for an artist lecture. During this talk, Millett will discuss how he came to the technique of quilting as his artistic medium, the influence of modernist artists such as Ellsworth Kelly, and how his work has […]
Join speaker Scott Samuelson at the Polk City Community Library on March 10 to learn more about AI and its implications for the future. This presentation focuses on the big moral and political issues surrounding artificial intelligence. What exactly is AI? Can it make our lives and our communities better, or is it going to […]
The Friends of the Ackley Public Library will host Jennifer Sterling on October 21, 2025 for a Speakers Bureau program. Sterling, a Lecturer in Sport Studies at the University of Iowa, explores Iowa’s unique 6-on-6 girls’ basketball tradition, which lasted until 1993. This multimedia presentation traces the history of the game, its role in shaping […]
Event Details Join author Megan Bannister to uncover some of the state's wackiest attractions and guide your next adventure around Iowa. Dive in and discover the state’s unique history and quirky places through the book, Secret Iowa: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure. Learn about hidden gems and the surprising backstories of places […]
Humanities Iowa utilizes funding from sources including the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils with support from the Mellon Foundation. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this website do not necessarily represent those of the Federation of State Humanities Councils or the Mellon Foundation.
