The Brunnier Art Museum is temporarily closed for renovations.
Christian Petersen Art Museum
DESIGNED FOR A MODERN LIFE:
Decorative Arts & Fashion in the Mid-Century
October 25, 2018 - June 28, 2019
The University Museum's winter-spring exhibition, Designed for a Modern Life: Decorative Arts & Fashion in the Mid-century, is a joint effort between the Christian Petersen Art Museum and the adjoining Textiles and Clothing Museum in Morrill Hall. The exhibition will include decorative arts, artwork and fashions from both permanent collections, along with a few select loans. Artists and designers include Charles and Ray Eames, Hans Wegner, Jens Risom, Russel Wright, Alvar Aalto, Tapio Wirkkala, Pricilla Sage, Anne Fogarty, Christian Dior,Paul Sachs,James Galanos, Bes-Ben, and many more.
The exhibition opens on October 25, 2018 and will run through June 28, 2019.
"The exhibition, Designed for a Modern Life, is a wonderful opportunity for a unique collaboration between the Textiles and Clothing Museum and University Museums. While the galleries have been neighbors in the Morrill Building since the reopening in 2007, there have been too few occasions for us to open the doors between the spaces and display our collections within each other's galleries. As both collections have a great focus in the 
midcentury era, it was easy to create an exhibition that integrated themes and ideas that included many of the wonderful objects from both permanent collections."
- Adrienne V. Gennett, Associate Curator of Collections and Education
Hours: Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Address: Morrill Hall, 603 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011
Admission: The cost is free, however there is a suggested donation of $3 per visitor.
This exhibition is curated and organized by University Museums and the Textiles and Clothing Museum at Iowa State University. Generous support for this exhibition was given by Rae Messer Reilly, Al and Ann Jennings, Clifford Smith, Julie and Len Rodman, Debra and Tom Johnson, and H. Dieter and Renate Dellmann.
Farm House Museum
Timeless: Love and Romance in the Victorian Era
January 14 - October 31, 2019
If he loved you with all the power of his soul for a lifetime, he couldn’t love you as much as I do in a single day.
- Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
Before online dating sites and social media, couples met through formal introductions and small town connections. During the Victorian Era (1837-1901), the rules for courting were very strict, forcing infatuated couples to come up with sneaky ways to communicate with one another. In an era of extravagance, the Victorians embedded everyday objects with hidden symbolism to declare their affections.
Some of the Victorian symbols of affection continue today such as giving flowers and chocolates. Other traditions, like flirting through hand-held fan signals and escort cards, have died out. While farmers in Iowa during this time did not have the lavish lifestyle of European high society and the East Coast elite, courting was still a serious occasion. Through photographs, objects and first-hand accounts in the historic Farm House Museum setting, visitors will be able to get a glimpse into what it was like to be in love in the Victorian Era.
Timeless: Love and Romance in the Victorian Era will open today and run through October 31, 2019. The Farm House Museum is open weekdays from noon to 4 pm while ISU is in session. The exhibition was guest curated by Sonya Harwood, University Museums Intern and ISU Senior in Anthropology.
Click here for exhibition events.
