Although you may not think of Iowa as an art center, it is indeed home to one of America’s favorites, Grant Wood.  And while Grant Wood’s famous American Gothic is part of the collection at the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art holds the largest collection of Grant Wood works.  Grant Wood’s studio, located just down the street, is also run by the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Grant Wood

Grant Wood grew up in nearby Anamosa, Iowa, and was a friend of Marvin D. Cone, a Cedar Rapids native whose work is also featured at the museum.  The museum goes beyond Iowa artists, however, and has several different galleries with various types of art.

Children are welcomed at the museum, and admission is free for those 18 and under.  Our children enjoyed a scavenger hunt as they explored the artwork.

Portions of the museum were damaged during the historic floods of 2008, but the museum’s recovery is now complete.

If You Go

Admission:  $5 adults, $4 seniors and college students, under 18 free.  Free to all from 4 to 8 p.m. Thursdays.

Hours:  Tuesday-Saturday 10-4, Thursday 10-8, Sunday 12-4.

Address:  410 3rd Ave SE, Cedar Rapids, IA  52401

Website:  Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

Photo credit: karla kaulfuss on flickr

Linda (minnemom) has been known to venture out of Minnesota for a vacation in Iowa.
She writes about her family’s adventures at Travels with Children.

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