Calendar

The Christian Petersen Art Museum is opening a week before the semester begins to give visitors an early opportunity to enjoy the galleries before the busy start of classes. Explore the peaceful winter landscape of the Anderson Sculpture Garden, then wander inside the Christian Petersen Art Museum for a cozy, art-filled retreat. Free admission. Open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Free admission

Norwood Viviano: Mapping Infrastructure/Mapping Agriculture
Technology, data collection, and art depict change in many forms

Tell Me a Story
Co-curated by Dr. Michèle Schaal, ISU Professor of French and Women’s and Gender Studies
Global storytelling through visual arts
 

Ever been past a building on campus and wondered what's inside? The newly updated Madden Building on the north side of campus features a delightful collection of Iowa artists and the official portrait of its namesake, Warren Madden. Join us on a free guided walk inside the building to examine selected works from a collection that is not the average “corporate art.” (Extra great if you work in the building and have wondered about the art!) Meet at Warren Madden Building, First Floor Lobby. This tour will take place entirely indoors. Art Walks are a regular event series highlighting the University Museums’ Art on Campus Collection, offering audiences the opportunity to explore the breadth of public art across Iowa State University's campus. Led by University Museums staff or docents, these guided tours are free and open to the public. For parking and accessibility information, please visit the University Museums website.

America 250: Prairie, Plows, and the People's College
February - October 2026

Casting hay in bronze, integrating glass elements, and making sure it’s all structurally sound turned out to be no easy task. In this virtual presentation, artist Matt Crane will share insights into the collaborative process of creating and fabricating Hive Mind, the Anderson Sculpture Garden’s newest public art installation by Beth Lipman.

If music is the food of love, play on! Music and art go hand in hand at Simon Estes Music Hall. Join us for a walk through the building to experience sculptures and installations inspired by music—artworks that translate rhythm, sound, and performance into visual form, including a painting commissioned for the Department of Music. Enjoy a free guided tour to see and hear about music–inspired public art.

Taking data visualization into another dimension, Norwood Viviano utilizes a variety of mapping techniques to create sculptures that tell stories of American cities, industry, and change. Surrounded by his solo exhibition in the Brunnier Art Museum, Viviano will provide insights into his deep research methods and the use of computer modeling, printing technology and engineering in his creative process.  After Viviano’s lecture, fellow artist Beth Lipman (renowned for glass still-life compositions, including those in the exhibition closing soon at the Christian Petersen Art Museum) will join him for a unique opportunity to hear two nationally recognized artists discuss how they engage similar processes in completely different ways and the importance of knowledge- sharing and accessibility in artistic creation. Free and open to the public. No registration required.

What if you could turn your research data into a work of art? Learn how artist Norwood Viviano uses Geographic Information Systems (GIS) throughout his artistic practice to create sculptural and visual representations of data, making abstract information tangible. Viviano will examine his unique processes and ask attendees to consider how they can create visually impactful objects or even art with their own collected data. This presentation is especially great for students, researchers and anyone interested in GIS, data visualization, science communication, or the intersection of science and art.

This is the last opportunity to visit Beth Lipman: Middle of the Story before the exhibition closes. Make sure to see the art before heading to the Simon Estes Music Hall to hear the composition inspired by Lipman’s amazing art in the exhibition.

Experience the world premiere of "Concerto for Wind Ensemble," a new composition by Iowa State's director of bands, Dr. Michael Golemo. The dynamic concerto is inspired by nationally recognized artist Beth Lipman's creative outputs. A sonically colorful performance by the ISU Wind Ensemble will feature unique instrumentation and visual delights. Free. No tickets required. Beth Lipman's exhibition may be viewed before the performance begins, during Christian Petersen Art Museum hours of 6 – 7:30 pm that evening.

Step inside the Farm House Museum, where time stands still and the shadows whisper. Explore crafts and activities inspired by real Victorian funerary and mourning rituals—arrange your own funeral bouquet, etch your name upon a casket plaque, write your epitaph and sit for the faux-est mortem photograph. Complimentary snacks… for the living.

The spiral of a shell, the symmetry of a flower, the seemingly impossible structure of snowflakes. Hidden in the flora and fauna of nature is a structure and a rhythm found in geometry and mathematics. Join a free guided tour of several botanical and nature-themed sculptures that center around the shapes and structure of life.

Discover the artistic and cultural objects found in University Museums collections that tell stories from around the world. Michèle Schaal, Professor of French and Women's and Gender Studies, and Adrienne Gennett, curator of the Brunnier Art Museum, will guide visitors through the tales of origin, caution, and celebration on exhibit.

Explore the fascinating connections between art and technology at the Brunnier Art Museum. Free activities and crafts for children and families will focus on cityscapes, mapmaking, 3D modeling, and technology. Find inspiration from the exhibition Mapping Infrastructure/Mapping Agriculture, by artist Norwood Viviano. Activities geared for grades K-5; all are welcome! Stop by any time during the three-hour window, while supplies last. No admission fee or registration.

More information to come. Due to planned essential utility work in the area and for everyone's safety, we are anticipating a closure of the Anderson Sculpture Garden during March 16 - August 17, 2026.

We expect that access to Morrill Hall and the Christian Petersen Art Museum will remain unaffected during this period.

Join our mailing list for information about planned improvements following the reopening!