As part of River Action's Summer Education Program, the Explore the River Series teaches participants first-hand about the wildlife, history, culture, and geography of the Mississippi River and the Quad Cities. "These exciting and informative in person sessions are given on the Channel Cat Water Taxi or during a guided tour at varying river locations […]

Savor Iowa’s Culinary History Savor Iowa’s amazing food heritage! Iowa’s delectable cuisine is quintessentially Midwestern, grounded in its rich farming heritage and spiced with diverse ethnic influences. From the chili-and-cinnamon-rolls phenomenon to Maid-Rites to the moveable feast known as RAGBRAI, discover the remarkable stories behind Iowa classics and savor a smorgasbord of other unique Iowa […]

Grant Wood: Prairie RebelIn this 45-minute, one-man show, Grant Wood chats with the audience as if talking to an old friend across the backyard fence, or maybe at his home at Five Turner Alley in Cedar Rapids. He tells us about his life and how he changed the art world forever with his work. It […]

Promoting Peace, Subverting Domesticity: Cookbooks Against War, 1970-2010This historical project analyzes peace activist cookbooks, revealing how such texts ignite activism, enable community identity for subcultures and adeptly subvert women’s domestic roles. The discussion this research features further extends our understandings of cookbooks and other “feminine” genres.

Nancy Drew: Iowa’s Heroine to the WorldNancy Drew is the most popular female detective in fiction. Few know, however, that Nancy is an Iowa heroine and that her creator was Mildred Augustine of Ladora. Nancy Drew and Mildred Augustine are extraordinary role models for Iowa girls and boys, women and men. An academic pioneer (the […]

Event Details Join the Des Moines Art Center for one last chance to visit and learn about the exhibition “Light Within Ourselves: Haitian Art in Iowa,” before the show closes on Sunday, September 7! Hear from an Art Center docent details about the exhibition and artworks on display in the A. H. Blank Gallery. Organized in partnership […]

Join museum colleagues from across Iowa for the 2025 Iowa Museum Association (IMA) Annual Meeting! This free virtual gathering brings together professionals from museums, historical societies, and cultural institutions to connect, learn, and celebrate the IMA’s ongoing impact. The program features a keynote presentation from Amy Ziegler of the Iowa Tourism Office, who will introduce the state’s […]

Event Details One of our nation's most iconic First Ladies, Mamie Eisenhower endured and triumphed through adversities through her extraordinary life. Mamie held numerous roles in her lifetime and witnessed--and shape--incredible history along the way. She did it all with a "spine of steel" and a graceful spirit. Register to join Eisenhower National Historic Site Park Ranger […]

Corn and KhrushchevThe Garst Family has deep roots in the history of Iowa. Based on her family experience in Coon Rapids, Liz recounts the history of agricultural development in Iowa, from early settlement through the fabulous mid-century explosion of farm productivity, based on the hybrid seeds, machinery, fertilizers and livestock technologies promoted by her grandfather. Liz […]

Join CultureALL in the heart of Iowa for an evening of community dancing where you will experience the sights, sounds and flavors of the vibrant cultures living here.  "Enter through a global bazaar with street performances and craft making, then join us in the ballroom for high energy dance moves from every continent in the […]

Cost:  IMA Members $75; IMA Student Members $35; non IMA members $130This gathering is open to all - "small" is subjective.  You decide how you would define your organization. Schedule:9 a.m. Registration & Refreshments 9:30 – 10:30 a.m.  Bringing History to Life Through Visual Art at Hoyt Sherman Place - Emily Roeder, Education Program Coordinator, Hoyt Sherman Place […]

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 […]