Art Bites: Director's Choice
May 1, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join Executive Director Sean Ulmer as he surprises us with an Art Bites of his choice.
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Guided Meditation @5TA: Opening Your Creative Treasure Trove
May 9, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Guided Meditation
Diving deep into the mysteries of our inner innovative sanctum, we’ll locate and open our creative treasure trove. Come see what inspired thoughts and visions emerge. Watch out! You just might surprise yourself! Noelle Holmes of Illuminations Healing Arts Center will lead you through this guided meditation, perfect for anyone from beginners to experienced meditators.
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Pajama Storytime: Artists in Pajamas
May 16, 2019 06:30 PM
Category: Pajama Story Time
Come listen to some stories about Frida Kahlo who, due to painful back troubles, sometimes painted in bed. Then you can try a slightly less messy version yourself with pencils, to celebrate National Drawing Day. It’s free for kids & their adult companions. Wear your PJ’s and bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with.
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Art Lovers Book Club:Andy Warhol by Wayne Koestenbaum
May 16, 2019 04:00 PM
Category: Art Lover's Book Club
In his account of Warhol's life and work, scholar and culture critic Wayne Koestenbaum gets past the contradictions and reveals the man behind the blond wig and dark glasses. Koestenbaum makes a convincing case for Warhol as a serious artist, one whose importance goes beyond the '60s.
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Free Third Thursday on Third
May 16, 2019
Category: Family
Come enjoy our exhibitions for Free every third Thursday of the month from 5 PM-8 PM.
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Doodlebugs at MPL: Wild Blue Yonder
May 28, 2019 10:45 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Come adventuring with us today! Who knows where your imagination could take you… The big blue sky? The deep blue sea? Off we go!
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Doodlebugs at NLCL Ultra-Cool Ultraviolet
May 29, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
This summer, the CRMA’s exhibition of local artists focuses on the color
blue, so Doodlebugs celebrates all things blue, too. Learn about the tints and
shades of this hue, experiment with blue media, and check out famous artists
who also emphasized blue in their work! Nothing chases away the blues like art!
Of all the shades of blue we can see, ultraviolet light is usually invisible… but we’ll use it in today’s book and art project.
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Doodlebugs at the Iowa City Public Library
May 30, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Of all the shades of blue we can see, ultraviolet light is usually invisible… but we will see it today when we do our art project!
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Doodlebugs at HPL Ultra-Cool Ultraviolet
May 31, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Of all the shades of blue we can see, ultraviolet light is usually invisible… but we’ll use it in today’s book and art project.
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Art Bites: Kick Up Your Heels: The Fine Art of Shoes
June 5, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for an inside look at one of our newest and most innovative exhibitions: shoes! From Manolo Blahnik’s classic pumps to daring designs that seem to defy gravity (and possibly human balance!), we’ll discuss the shoe as an art object.
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Guided Meditation at The Grant Wood Studio: Heart Mosaic
June 13, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Guided Meditation
Mosaics are created from random, broken or found objects. We’ll take the metaphoric wild and often disparate aspects of our story and arrange them, purposefully, against the backdrop of our heart. Watch as beauty emerges from intentional resituating and repurposing. Noelle Holmes of Illuminations Healing Arts Center will lead you through this guided meditation, perfect for anyone from beginners to experienced meditators. Contact Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319.366.7503 ext. 203 to register at least 24hrs prior to session. This program is for ages 13 and up. Fee: $10 payable to Noelle Holmes.
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CRMA Summer Art Camp 2019 Into the Blue
June 17 to June 21, 2019 08:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Family
Join us this summer for a wild week of creativity, including ceramics, glass, mixed media, sculpture, and paint. We’re inviting local artists who are featured in our juried exhibition to visit and demonstrate their skills, and we’ll again partner with the Iowa Ceramics Center & Glass Studio.
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Art and Beer Paring at Lion Bridge,
June 18, 2019 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: General
Art comes in many forms. The Lion Bridge Brewing Company and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art are once again combining their areas of expertise to demonstrate how art, beer, and food can be united to create a wonderful and unique experience. Join us for a one of a kind pairing of small plates, beer, and art at the Lion Bridge Brewing from 3:00 PM-9:00 PM on Tuesday, June 18. Pairings are based on the Into the Blue: An All-Iowa Juried Exhibition, a color-specific celebration of Iowa artists exhibition at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art this summer. A brief program by the CRMA will occur at 6:00 PM. No tickets are required. Order the suggested 'blue' food pairings à la carte, or order a four course meal. Blue Corn Chips & Salsa Blue Crab Cakes Blue Cheese Sliders Blueberry Panna Cota Pairings will be available while supplies last.
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Art Lovers Book Club: Duchamp: A Biography by Calvin Tomkins
June 20, 2019 04:00 PM
Category: Art Lover's Book Club
Duchamp is widely considered one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, yet his personal life remained an enigma throughout his avidly scrutinized career. Tomkins, from his unique vantage point as both an accomplished art critic and a friend of Duchamp’s since the late 1950s, presents a piercing portrait of Duchamp, adeptly analyzing his art and career while also recounting his personal life, influences and relationships. This thoroughly researched, eminently readable book is by far the most authoritative Duchamp biography.
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Museum Store Member’s Days
June 20 to June 23, 2019
Category: Museum Store
CRMA members will receive 20% off retail price of any merchandise, including consignment and sale items. Take advantage of this special offer… and it is never too late to join!
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Doodlebugs at the MPL: Doodlebugs Sing The Blues
June 25, 2019 10:45 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Doodlebugs Sing the Blues
Blues music and art go perfectly together! Join us for some silly music and a silly art project to take home!
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Doodlebugs at NPL: Wild Blue Yonder
June 26, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
This summer, the CRMA’s exhibition of local artists focuses on the color
blue, so Doodlebugs celebrates all things blue, too. Learn about the tints and
shades of this hue, experiment with blue media, and check out famous artists
who also emphasized blue in their work! Nothing chases away the blues like art! Come adventuring with us today! Who knows where your imagination could take you… The big blue sky? The deep blue sea? Off we go!
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Doodlebugs at the HPL: Blue Footed Booby Dance
June 28, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Our friend Carol Rezabek from the Dancer’s Edge is back again, this time to teach us to dance like this blue footed bird!
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Museum Store Artist of the Month: Doug Hanson
July 1 to July 31, 2019
Category: Museum Store
Doug Hanson has been a working artist for almost four decades. After beginning his career as a sculptor, he now devotes himself to making functional pottery.
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Free Summer at the CRMA!
July 2 to September 1, 2019
Category: General
It's Free Summer at the CRMA! Enjoy browsing our 16 galleries all summer long. Thank you to our generous sponsors: Cedar Rapids Bank and Trust, Transamerica, True North, UFG, and media sponsor The Gazette.
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Art Bites: Into the Blue, Free
July 3, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau to walk through our summer juried exhibition, Into the Blue. Drawn from a pool of over 220 Iowa artists and 486 submitted artworks, Into the Blue looks at how Iowa artists respond to one particular color in a variety of styles and media.
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Guided Meditation at the GWS: Embracing Wonder: Open Heart, Open Road
July 11, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Guided Meditation
Whether contextualized by summer travel of plotting your personal trajectory, we’ll explore the concept of the loose grasp and how we might invite deeper surrendered sensing into daily “being.” Noelle Holmes of Illuminations Healing Arts Center will lead you through this guided meditation, perfect for anyone from beginners to experienced meditators. Contact Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319.366.7503 ext. 203 to register at least 24hrs prior to session. This program is for ages 13 and up. Fee: $10 payable to Noelle Holmes.
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Family Fun Day -The Hue of Blue
July 13, 2019 11:00 AM - 03:00 PM
Category: Family
Discover all the magic of the color blue today at the CRMA! Delve into the Blue, our exhibition of Iowa artists whose works all focus on this color. Some of them will even be here to chat with you! Explore our mini exhibition of artwork created by the CRMA's Summer Camp participants. Then it's your turn! Rest "azure-d," it's "cyan-tifically" proven that you can't be "blue" with scavenger hunts, science experiments, make-and-take art projects, and more! It's no "pigment" of your imagination--it's free for the whole family!
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High Heeled History talk
July 18, 2019 07:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: Lecture
From the moment the Persians introduced the high-heeled shoe to Europe in the seventeenth century, high heels have been both a fashion statement and status symbol. Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for a discussion of the history of high-heeled shoes, from their ancient origins in Egypt and Greece to the iconic Manolo Blahnik and Jimmy Choo pumps of today.
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Kick Up Your Heels-Celebrate the Fine Art of Shoes
July 18, 2019 05:00 PM - 06:30 PM
Category: Fundraiser
Enjoy an evening of libations, creative cuisine and artful camaraderie! There will be in-gallery highlights from docents and a preview of the 125th anniversary events planned for the CRMA by Executive Director Sean Ulmer. Then stay to hear Associate Curator Kate Kunau give a talk on the history of the high heel in the Museum’s Auditorium at 7:00 PM
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Artist Salon
July 24, 2019 05:30 PM - 07:00 PM
Category: Local Artists
Calling all artists! Take a break from your studio and join fellow local artists at the CRMA for an evening of camaraderie as we explore the exhibition Into the Blue, a celebration of Iowa artists. There will be a short program at 6pm. Please feel free to bring snacks or libations to share!
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Art Lovers Book Club The Lost Diaries of Frans Hals by Michael Kernan
July 25, 2019 04:00 PM
Category: Art Lover's Book Club
Notebooks from a seventeenth-century Dutch painter turn up in a twentieth-century garage--and Columbia University graduate student Peter Van Overloop could be famous, if he can prove their authenticity.
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Doodlebugs at the Hiawatha Library: The Hue of Blue
July 26, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Check out all the cool tints and shades of blue you can create by mixing it with other colors!
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Doodlebugs at the Marion Public Library: The Hue of Blue, Part 2
July 30, 2019 10:45 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Where is blue hiding? We’ll do some science experiments to uncover many of the ways blue is used where you wouldn’t expect it.
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Doodlebugs at the North Liberty Public Library: The Hue Of Blue
July 31, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Check out all the cool tints and shades of blue you can create by mixing it with other colors!
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Frond Fabric Weaving Workshop for Kids at the CRMA
August 1, 2019 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: Art Classes
Find our fine friends from Frond here for fun with fiber art! Kids 8yrs & up, you are welcome for this no-sew fabric weaving project. This project requires no sewing, glue, or special skills beyond using scissors and your imagination. Frond’s artist-designed textiles are provided, and you turn them into works of art! And since the finished pieces will be mounted on canvas you can show them off in your home or anywhere you like!
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Museum Store Artist Of the Month: Sara Benesh
August 1 to August 30, 2019
Category: Museum Store
I love journals as a medium since I know the artistic process doesn’t end with me. Every aspect of each journal is carefully thought out-from the repurposed leather that allows me to choose the exact design of the exterior to the splash of color that make the end pages- meant to delight and surprise the eye when opening each one. Each piece is an invitation to its new owner to explore and create. Every journal is hand sewn with love and intended for use with your daily adventures; great or small, neat or far, or wherever they may take you.
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Fabric Painting & Embellishment Workshop for Adults
August 2, 2019 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: Art Classes
Start with Frond’s unique artist designed fabrics and add paint to create a personalized work of art. Mount it onto a canvas before you leave and you can display it in your home or wherever you’d like. Registration fee includes Frond fabric, instruction, paints, embellishments, tools, and a glass of wine or tea. This low-key workshop is perfect for date night, spending time with a friend, or as a creative outlet at the end of your week. $15/project. For more information, contact Frond at 319-261-1011, visit www.fronddesignstudios.com, or contact them through Facebook at Frond Design Studios. Ages 21 & up.
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Art Bites: Artist Talk, "Into the Blue"
August 7, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join several artists featured in the Into the Blue exhibition to discuss their artworks and how they responded to the color-centric exhibition call.
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Guided Meditation at the GWS: Checking In with Self: Identify & Elevate
August 8, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Guided Meditation
Tune-ups, touchstones and mile-markers are helpful on life’s journey. Let’s pause, examine and elevate what’s evolving with resonance. Noelle Holmes of Illuminations Healing Arts Center will lead you through this guided meditation, perfect for anyone from beginners to experienced meditators. Contact Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319.366.7503 ext. 203 to register at least 24hrs prior to session. This program is for ages 13 and up. Fee: $10 payable to Noelle Holmes.
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Evening Sky Painting at the Hiawatha Public Library
August 9, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Art Classes
Follow us Into the Blue as the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s Education Director Erin Thomas guides you in creating a mixed media work of art to take home. Inspired by the CRMA’s newest exhibition, Into the Blue, we’ll use a variety of art materials to create images or evoke feelings of the night sky, of course using many shades of blue. Focus on the stars and moon, nocturnal animals, aurora borealis, or anything else your imagination can dream up. Preregistration is required. To register or for questions, contact [insert info here]. [fee?] Grab your paintbrush or glue stick and get ready for some messy, artsy fun!
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Blank Canvas Blues Workshop
August 15, 2019 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: Art Classes
Does a blank canvas fill you with dread or indecision? Are you unsure how to start? This workshop is for you! This is a stress-free mixed media workshop where you can let your mind wander, let your creativity simmer, and not worry about making mistakes. It's great for anyone, from beginners to long-time artists. Inspired by some of the Iowa artists featured in our exhibition, Into the Blue, we'll experiment with some of their creativity-boosting ideas. You’ll leave with a completed piece to display in your home. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; to sign up, contact Education Director Erin Thomas at 319-366-7503 x203 or ethomas@crma.org. $10.
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Art Lovers Book Club: Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper by Harriet Scott Chessman
August 15, 2019 04:00 PM
Category: Art Lover's Book Club
Harriet Scott Chessman takes us into the world of Mary Cassatt's early Impressionist paintings through Mary's sister Lydia, whom the author sees as Cassatt’s most inspiring muse. Chessman hauntingly brings to life Paris in 1880, with its thriving art world. The novel’s subtle power rises out of a sustained inquiry into art’s relation to the ragged world of desire and mortality. Ill with Bright’s disease and conscious of her approaching death, Lydia contemplates her world narrowing. With the rising emotional tension between the loving sisters, between one who sees and one who is seen, Lydia asks moving questions about love and art’s capacity to remember. Chessman illuminates Cassatt’s brilliant paintings and creates a compelling portrait of the brave and memorable model who inhabits them with such grace. Lydia Cassatt Reading the Morning Paper includes five full-color plates, the entire group of paintings Mary Cassatt made of her sister.
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Doodlebugs at MPL: Picasso’s Blue Period
August 27, 2019 10:45 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Picasso’s Blue Period
Many famous artists have gone through a “blue period” when they mostly used blue colors. We’ll look at some of these monochromatic works and create one of ourown.
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Doodlebugs at the NLCL: Picasso’s Blue Period
August 28, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
Many famous artists have gone through a “blue period” when they mostly used blue colors. We’ll look at some of these monochromatic works and create one of our own.
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Doodlebugs at the HPL: Blueprint for Blue Prints
August 30, 2019 10:30 AM
Category: Doodlebugs
This summer, the CRMA’s exhibition of local artists focuses on the color blue, so Doodlebugs celebrates all things blue, too. Learn about the tints and shades of this hue, experiment with blue media, and check out famous artists who also emphasized blue in their work! Nothing chases away the blues like art!
Cyanotype is a form of printmaking that uses the sun. The finished piece turns blue, which is where the term “blueprint” comes from. We will be trying it for ourselves!
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Art Bites: Director's Choice
September 4, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join Executive Director Sean Ulmer as he surprises us with an Art Bites of his choice.
more >>
Guided Meditation at the Grant Wood Studio: Life’s Rolling Tides: Moving With Change
September 12, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Guided Meditation
One of the many by-products of change is grief. Let’s take a moment to sit with this often avoided part of ourselves and explore what it has to say… what it needs. Noelle Holmes of Illuminations Healing Arts Center will lead you through this guided meditation, perfect for anyone from beginners to experienced meditators. Contact Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319.366.7503 ext. 203 to register at least 24hrs prior to session. This program is for ages 13 and up. Fee: $10 payable to Noelle Holmes.
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Paranormal Case Files of the CRMA
September 14, 2019 01:00 PM
Category: Lecture
Have you ever wondered what paranormal investigators do? What tools they use? How they analyze the evidence they collect and make sense of it? Join paranormal investigator Greg Reisner of the Johnson County Paranormal Team as he walks you through the process of a typical case. Plus we’ll explore some of the historical hauntings associated with the CRMA’s property, and examine some of the evidence collected by Greg’s team during their investigation of our very own museum. Free. May not be suitable for young children.
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Art Lover’s Book Club There's a Mystery There: The Primal Vision of Maurice Sendak by Jonathan Cott
September 19, 2019 04:00 PM
Category: Art Lover's Book Club
An extraordinary, path-breaking, and penetrating book on the life and work and creative inspirations of the great children's book genius Maurice Sendak, who since his death in 2012 has only grown in his stature and recognition as a major American artist.
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Art Bites: Haunted, Marvin Cone's Ghosts
October 2, 2019 12:15 PM
Category: Art Bites
Join Associate Curator Kate Kunau for some pre-Halloween discussion of ghosts in Marvin Cone’s series of paintings. Ghosts are an unusual topic for an artist to tackle and Cone did so in a series of paintings and drawings that anticipate his turn to abstraction later in his career.
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Torchlight Tours
October 11, 2019 06:00 PM
Category: Family
Take a special docent-led gallery tour in the dark by the light of [electric] torchlight. Highlighting our exhibitions Up All Night: Art of the Dark and Haunted: Marvin Cone’s Ghosts, get a unique view of the artwork and a deeper look into the artists’ perspectives.
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Night at the Museum Family Fun Day
October 18, 2019 06:00 PM - 09:00 PM
Category: Family
It’s a night at the museum! Family Fun Night celebrates our fall exhibitions Up All Night: Art of the Dark and Haunted: Marvin Cone’s Ghosts. There will be a spectacular laser light show after the sun sets of [provide description of the content of the show] provided by [light show company and/or sponsor]. Come dressed in your favorite costume for tricks and treats like make-and-take masterpieces that glow under black light, scavenger hunts, and night-owl projects you can take home! It’s free for all ages so bring the whole family!
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CRMA Gala 2019
November 1, 2019 05:30 PM
Category: Fundraiser
Excitement is growing for the event of the season! Mark your calendars now for a spectacular evening at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art GALA benefiting educational and outreach programming at the CRMA.
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Illuminated Canvas Workshop
November 7, 2019 06:00 PM - 08:00 PM
Category: Art Classes
Let there be light! In this workshop the CRMA will provide you with all the materials to create a work of art that lights up! Paint your favorite quote, starry scene, or even your name, and then add another dimension to your project with tiny fairy lights. Children (ages 8+) to adults can complete this simple yet dazzling project that you can display in your home or give as a gift. Space is limited and pre-registration is required; to sign up, contact Education Director Erin Thomas at 319-366-7503 x203 or ethomas@crma.org. $15.
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Legends & Folklore of Winter with Chad Lewis
December 13, 2019 07:00 PM
Category: General
Sip a cup of cocoa or cider and join us for chilling and mysterious folklore perfect for this time of year, sponsored in part by the Hiawatha Public Library.
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