Iowa Arts & Culture

⭐ Grantee Spotlight ⭐ Through support from the Iowa Arts Council, the University of Iowa School of Music is expanding Caring Cadences, an interactive, music therapy performance series designed to bring connection, comfort and joy to Iowans of all ages and abilities.

Led by Dunn String Quartet in collaboration with music therapy faculty and students, Caring Cadences brings live classical music directly into care facilities, senior centers, libraries and community spaces across eastern Iowa. Performances are specially designed to support older adults living with dementia and their caregivers through familiar music, audience, and shared musical memories. By combing artistic excellence with accessibility and wellness-centered programming, Caring Cadences demonstrates the powerful role the arts can play in strengthening health and well-being.

We're proud to support projects that expand access to meaningful arts experiences for all Iowans.

Always Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

Artists across Iowa — this opportunity is for you! 🎨✨

This new Artists Professional Development Grant from the Iowa Arts Council supports Iowa artists pursuing learning, mentorship, business development and other opportunities that strengthen artistic practice and professional growth.

Open to artists of all disciplines, this grant is designed to help catalyze momentum, build skills, and elevate Iowa's creative industry.

Applications are now open and will be reviewed on a rolling basis until funding is exhausted.
Apply now: https://bit.ly/4vwn9ME

⭐ Military families can explore museums across the country for free this summer through the Blue Star Museums program, running May 16-September 7, 2026. Led by the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, the program provides free admission for actively serving military members and their families at participating museums, historic sites, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums, and more nationwide.

Whether close to home or during summer travels, Blue Star Museums offer meaningful opportunities to connect through arts, culture, history and community.
Find participating museums and learn more at arts.gov/BlueStarMuseums.

What an inspiring day at The Exchange 2026! ✨ This past month, the Iowa Arts Council was proud to host community leaders, artists, arts organizations, economic development professionals, and creative changemakers from across Iowa in Council Bluffs for a day centered on creativity, collaboration, and community impact.

Through workshops, panel discussions, tours and peer-to-peer conversations, attendees explored the power of the arts to strengthen communities through public art, creative placemaking, rural vitality, cultural tourism, and cross-sector partnerships. The Exchange 2026 highlighted the incredible work happening across Iowa and the importance of collaboration in building vibrant, creative communities.

Thank you to everyone who attended, presented, partnered, and helped make this year's event such as success. We're excited to see the ideas and connections from gathering continue to grow across the state. 💙

🎙️Tune in TODAY to hear Iowa's new Poet Laureate, Dr. Paul Brooke, on Iowa Public Radio's Talk of Iowa.

Selected to serve as Iowa Poet Laureate for the next two years, Dr. Brooke will share reflections on poetry, community, storytelling and representing the state through this important role. Don't miss this conversation celebrating the power of poetry in Iowa.

📻 Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio: https://www.iowapublicradio.org/podcast/talk-of-iowa

🎭 Arts Celebrating America in Rural Iowa. As the nation prepares to mark America's 250th anniversary, arts organizations are helping communities preserve cultural heritage and tell the story of our democracy through creativity, performance, and local voices. Cedar Summerstock Theatre in Saint Ansgar is one of those leaders.

The organization recently received a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to support musical theater productions and educational programming. Serving rural north-central Iowa, Cedar Summerstock brings people together through live performance while fostering civic pride and shared understanding across generations.

🎨 Help shape the future of the arts in Iowa! The Iowa Arts Council is now accepting applications for its Advisory Council. This is a unique opportunity to support arts and culture across the state by sharing your voice, perspective, and leadership. We're looking for passionate individuals who are about expanding access to the arts and strengthening Iowa's creative communities.

🗓️ Applications are open now through May 31.
📍Apply via IAppoint today! Make an impact, get involved, and help champion the arts in Iowa.
https://boards-iappoint.iowa.gov/boards/71

boards-iappoint.iowa.gov

📣 Now Open: Statewide Art Contest & Exhibition

The Call for Entries is officially open for the 2026 Iowa State Fair Statewide Art Contest & Exhibition, presented by the Iowa Arts Council as part of Iowa America 250.

Open to students (ages 8–18) and adult artists, this exhibition invites Iowans to explore themes like creativity and innovation, people, places and events, and America’s founding principles.

🖼️ Selected artworks will be exhibited at the Fair
📅 Deadline: June 1, 2026
🔗 https://bit.ly/4bG4GpQ

✨ Iowa Fellowship Spotlight: Interwoven Worlds ✨

Step into a powerful intersection of dance, visual art, and film with Interwoven Worlds, a new work by Iowa Arts Council Fellowship recipient Eloy Barragán (2025–2026). This dynamic, three-part dance journey transforms iconic artworks from across Iowa into movement—bridging disciplines, communities, and creative expression.

Each movement draws inspiration from a masterwork housed in a different Iowa museum:

🖼️ Movement I | Figge Art Museum
📅 May 12, 2026 | ⏰ 4:30 PM
Inspired by Woman Ironing (Isis) by Vik Muniz

🖼️ Movement II | Stanley Museum of Art
📅 May 14, 2026 | ⏰ 6:30 PM
Inspired by Which Way? by Elizabeth Catlett

🖼️ Movement III | Des Moines Art Center
📅 May 13, 2026 | ⏰ 2:00 PM
Inspired by Manos (Hands) by José Clemente Orozco

Through movement, dancers embody themes of labor, identity, direction, and resilience—bringing each artwork to life in a deeply human way.

🎭 Don’t miss an early presentation of the first and second movements:
📍 Space Place Theater
📅 March 12 & 13, 2026 | ⏰ 8:00 PM

The journey culminates this fall with the full performance of all three movements at Hancher Auditorium on November 13 & 14, 2026.

Interwoven Worlds invites us to consider how movement carries memory, how cities connect through art, and how collaboration creates something greater than the sum of its parts.

🚨 1 Week Away! 🚨

Calling all Iowa creatives! 🎨 The Exchange is coming to Council Bluffs, bringing together artists, cultural leaders, and community members for conversation, connection and collaboration. This is your chance to build relationships, share ideas, and be part of a vibrant creative network.

📍 May 15, 2026 — Council Bluffs
📝 Register Now: https://bit.ly/4etxEv5