Week of February 5, 2024

Admission and programs are free and open to the public. Donations support student engagement through exhibitions and educational programs.

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Now through July 26, three exhibitions around the ISU campus celebrate George Washington Carver. Nearly 75 years ago in 1949, then Iowa State artist-in-residence Christian Petersen carved a plaster sculpture of notable graduate George Washington Carver. Fifty years later, the sculpture was cast in bronze and placed in the courtyard of Carver Hall, creating a commemoration in public art to Carver and his achievements. George Washington Carver’s legacy has been honored over the years through numerous works of art in the University Museums’ permanent collection and Art on Campus Collection.

Stop by one of the University Museums to pick up a free exhibition postcard featuring Do You Know What's Inside this Flower? George Washington Carver Mentors a Young Henry A. Wallace by Rose Frantzen.

George Washington Carver, The Student & Artist

Farm House Museum

601 Farm House Lane

Several works of art from the permanent collection by Carver’s advocate Etta May Budd, and a ceramic vase attributed to Carver are exhibited at the Farm House Museum, Iowa State’s oldest building. Along with these objects, portraits and decorative arts that relate to the many individuals Carver noted in his letter of 1921 are highlighted.

George Washington Carver, The Student & Innovator

Dean's Art Gallery, Curtiss Hall

513 Farm House Lane

This installation explores through portraiture the influence on Carver the Iowa State faculty, administration and students had on the success of Carver becoming the innovator he is celebrated today.

George Washington Carver, The Student & Visionary

Multiple sites across ISU campus

Click here for PDF of the brochure

This self-guided exhibition tour explores, through historical and contemporary portraiture, the encouragement of young Carver by Iowa State faculty and administration that allowed for his success while on campus and led to him becoming the visionary person he is celebrated today.

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Come to these tours led by the University Museums curators who researched, planned, and installed the exhibitions. Learn about the objects and have your questions answered. These tours are free and open to the public, no registration required.

Join Farm House curator Allison Sheridan to take a first look at the newly installed exhibition and delve into the influences of these international events on decorative arts from 1851 to 1910.

Curator's Tour

World's Fairs, Expositions, & Centennial Celebrations of the Victorian Era

with Allison Sheridan

Thursday, Feb. 8

5:00–6:00pm

Farm House Museum

World's Fairs, Expositions, and Centennial Celebrations of the Victorian Era was curated by the 2023 Pohlman Fellow Gracia Koele (History '23). Support for the exhibition and program provided by Carol Pletcher.

Join Brunnier Art Museum curator Adrienne Gennett to marvel in some of the smallest works of art found in the permanent collection.

Curator's Tour

Small Pleasures: Tiny Art from the Permanent Collection

with Adrienne Gennett

Sunday, Feb. 11

2:00–3:00pm

Brunnier Art Museum

Scheman Building, 2nd floor

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Your University Museums include virtual programs to make access to lectures, experts, art and more accessible to all! Registration is not required, but if you do register, the Zoom links and information along with any changes and a reminder come directly to your email inbox.

A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke

with Dr. Susan J. Rawles, Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts

Spend an evening learning about the intricate world of micromosaic jewelry. Locke’s collection of micromosaics, held at the VMFA, provides a lens on the continuity of the ancient craft of mosaic into the modern era and the historical legacy of Locke’s collection within the context of the Grand Tour.

This program will not be recorded.

In conjunction with the exhibition Small Pleasures at the Brunnier Art Museum

Fantastical Dreamscapes: Architectural Wonders and Innovations at World Expos, 1851 to 1911

with Lisa D. Schrenk, Professor of Architectural History, University of Arizona; Co-founder of The Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE)

Explore the architectural designs and building innovations that shaped the first 60 years of international expositions. These include advances in iron, glass, electricity, and aesthetics, all of which made possible the magnificent pavilions that covered the fairgrounds at these grand events.

This lecture is co-sponsored by The Institute for the Study of International Expositions (ISIE). Support provided by Carol Pletcher.

In conjunction with the exhibition World's Fairs, Expositions, and Centennial Celebrations of the Victorian Era at the Farm House Museum

Elizabeth Catlett and the Art of the Print

with Mary Lee Corlett, former Associate Curator, Modern & Contemporary Prints & Drawings, National Gallery of Art

Elizabeth Catlett is among the most renowned artists of the twentieth century, equally celebrated as a printmaker and a sculptor. This talk will focus on the artistry of her printmaking practice and the multitude of ways in which print processes served her activist vision by facilitating modernist strategies such as repetition and appropriation, engagement with pattern and line, texture, color play, use of positive and negative space, and reversal. The foundational role played by the storied Mexico City print workshop, the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP), in Catlett’s printmaking practice will be highlighted.



This program will not be recorded.

In conjunction with the exhibition The Art of Elizabeth Catlett from the Collection of Samella Lewis at Brunnier Art Museum

Because of the exhibitions at the Christian Petersen Art Museum inside Morrill Hall, we've discounted several of our best scholarly publications on the unique art and aesthetics of Iowa State University's artist-in-residence, Christian Petersen! These books will also be available for purchase at the Christian Petersen Art Museum during open hours.

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Click the title of events for more information and/or to register. Registration is not required for events unless there is limited capacity. Registering allows us to send you updates and reminders for the event. All University Museums events are free and open to the public.

Thursday, Feb. 8

5:00-6:00pm

Curator's Tour of World's Fairs, Expositions, & Centennial Celebrations

with Allison Sheridan

Farm House Museum

Sunday, Feb. 11

Curator's Tour of Small Pleasures

with Adrienne Gennett

Brunnier Art Museum

Sunday, Feb. 18

2:00-2:30pm

Sunday Tour

led by docent Rick Bartosh

Brunnier Art Museum

Tuesday, Feb. 20

5:00-6:00pm

A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke

with Dr. Susan J. Rawles

Virtual on Zoom

Sunday, Feb. 25

2:00-2:30pm

Sunday Tour

led by docent Steve Petska

Brunnier Art Museum

Tuesday, Feb. 27

5:00-6:00pm

Fantastical Dreamscapes: Architectural Wonders & Innovations at World Expos, 1851 to 1911

with Lisa D. Schrenk

Virtual on Zoom

Wednesday, Feb. 28

noon-1:00pm

Art Walk: Celebrating George Washington Carver

led by docent Steve Petska

begins at Curtiss Hall

Thursday, Feb. 29

5:00-6:00pm

Elizabeth Catlett and the Art of Print

with Mary Lee Corlett

virtual on Zoom

Friday, Mar. 1

5:00-7:00pm

Date Night

Brunnier Art Museum

Sunday, Mar. 3

2:00-3:00pm

Collector's Tour of Rookwood: America's Contribution to the Fine Arts

with Mark & Marie Latta

Brunnier Art Museum

Click here for parking information for all University Museums.