Museum Meetup | Memento Mori – University Museums

Farm House Museum 601 Farm House Lane, Ames, IA, United States

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.

Free

Art Walk: Geometry of Nature – University Museums

Jischke Honors Building 603 Farm House Ln, Ames, IA, United States

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.

Free

Curator’s Tour: Tell Me a Story – University Museums

Brunnier Art Museum 1800 Center Dr #295, Ames, IA, United States

Origin stories, cautionary tales, celebrations. Storytelling shapes who we are and helps us understand ourselves and the world around us.

Explore the Tell Me a Story exhibition at the Brunnier Art Museum co-curators Michèle Schaal, Professor of French and Women’s and Gender Studies, and museum curator Adrienne Gennett for the only joint curator-led public tour of this exhibition. Guests can experience art and cultural objects that tell stories from around the world, some familiar, others completely unknown to Western audiences. Decorative arts, textiles, and other works of art spanning centuries and continents reveal how creators across cultures have transmitted narratives with visuals that can reinforce morals, educate viewers, and preserve traditions.

Free

Explore! Artful Engineering and Technology – University Museums

Brunnier Art Museum 1800 Center Dr #295, Ames, IA, United States

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.

Free

Gallery Talk: “Albert Paley: Origins” with Anne Pagel – University Museums

Christian Peterson Art Museum 1017 Morrill Hall, 603 Morrill Rd, Ames, IA, United States

Discover the work of internationally recognized metal sculptor Albert Paley in this free guest lecture. Anne Pagel, Curator of the Karen and Robert Duncan Art Collection, explores how Paley transforms metal into bold, evolving sculptures that investigate form, materials, and innovation. Learn how his sculptures create a dynamic dialogue between art and architecture in public spaces, including Iowa State’s own Transformation, a public art installation at the east entrance of Morrill Hall.

Free