Sully’s position on the margins of the art world meant that her work was exhibited only a handful of times during her life. In Becoming Mary Sully, Philip J. Deloria reclaims that work from obscurity, exploring her stunning portfolio through the lenses of modernism, industrial design, Dakota women’s aesthetics, mental health, ethnography and anthropology, primitivism, and the American Indian politics of the 1930s. Working in a complex territory oscillating between representation, symbolism, and abstraction, Sully evoked multiple and simultaneous perspectives of time and space. With an intimate yet sweeping style, Deloria recovers in Sully’s work a move toward an anti-colonial aesthetic that claimed a critical role for Indigenous women in American Indian futures―within and distinct from American modernity and modernism. (Amazon)

Join artist Dori Patrick and a group of like-minded art journalers and journal-curious creatives for an open-studio jam session. $10 per person, payable to Dori Patrick. Please note, this is not a class; this is a casual hang out, where all artistic levels are welcome to come and play. Dori will be on hand to answer questions you might have about getting started, but the time will be yours to experiment and meet fellow creatives. Basic art supplies will be provided for you but you will need to bring your own journal. You are also welcome to bring any of your own journaling supplies that you might want to use: collage papers, paints, markers/pencils/pens, stickers, washi tape. If you like, bring your beverage of choice, or a snack to share with the group. Adults only. Register at least 24hrs in advance by contacting Education Director Erin Thomas at 319-366-7503 or ethomas@crma.org. Jam sessions are held on the third Thursday each month.

Fee: $20

How these tours are different than standard guided tours: 
•    The pace is a bit slower.
•    The language is clearer and simpler.
•    Participants are encouraged to share their personal experiences and connections to the artwork.
•    Group sizes are smaller.
•    Docents are trained and certified Friends of Dementia.

If you are living with dementia, or you are a care partner to someone who is, you are welcome to join the dementia-friendly tours on the last Friday of each month at 2pm. Admission is free for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. If you have a larger group, please contact us to find out how we can accommodate you. 

Art Bites is a free program which is held on the first Wednesday of every month. A question and answer session is held after the program. These programs are a fascinating look into an exhibition or piece of art. All 16 galleries are open to view for free after the program. 

Art Bites is designed for you to be able to attend during your lunch hour. You are welcome to bring your sack lunch and eat in the Carnegie Library either before or after the presentation

*Note: We’ll be using small beads and blunt needles for this project.

All ages are welcome, but book selection is ideal for ages 4-7.

How these tours are different than standard guided tours: 
•    The pace is a bit slower.
•    The language is clearer and simpler.
•    Participants are encouraged to share their personal experiences and connections to the artwork.
•    Group sizes are smaller.
•    Docents are trained and certified Friends of Dementia.

If you are living with dementia, or you are a care partner to someone who is, you are welcome to join the dementia-friendly tours on the last Friday of each month at 2pm. Admission is free for individuals living with dementia and their care partners. If you have a larger group, please contact us to find out how we can accommodate you. 

*Note: We’ll be using small beads and blunt needles for this project. All ages are welcome, but book selection is ideal for ages 4-7.

*Note: We’ll be using small beads and blunt needles for this project.

All ages are welcome, but book selection is ideal for ages 4-7.

If you can’t make it to Family Fun Day, you can still see the CRMA’s two fiber arts exhibitions this fall: Making A Mark: The Art of Astrid Hilger Bennett (on view 9/12/2026 through 1/3/2027) and Threading the Needle: Fiber Art in Iowa (on view 10/3/2026 through 1/17/2027).

10/17/2026, 10am-noon OR 1-3pm

Have you ever wondered how the green leaves of the indigo plant turn into a rich, deep blue dye used in everything from blue jeans to traditional Japanese shibori? This is your opportunity not only to see the process first-hand, but to try it out for yourself. Fiber artist Astrid Hilger Bennett will lead two workshops at the CRMA on Saturday, October 17, 2026; you can choose the 10am or 1pm session. Your $35 registration fee covers all your materials to create several hand-dyed indigo textile pieces that are displayable or even functional. Sign up by contacting the CRMA’s Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319-366-7503. Deadline to sign up is October 9th. Space is limited so sign up early!

 Astrid Hilger Bennett was trained as a printmaker and has worked with textiles since 1975, creating award-winning pieces exhibited internationally.  From new or upcycled fabrics, she also creates functional items suitable for the kitchen or shared experiences centered on food. She has decades of experience working with fiber reactive dyes, and more recently, natural dyes, using them for mark making, painting, screen printing, monoprinting, and immersion dyeing. You can view her solo exhibition, Making A Mark: The Art of Astrid Hilger Bennett (on view 9/12/2026 through 1/3/2027), at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

10/17/2026, 10am-noon OR 1-3pm

Have you ever wondered how the green leaves of the indigo plant turn into a rich, deep blue dye used in everything from blue jeans to traditional Japanese shibori? This is your opportunity not only to see the process first-hand, but to try it out for yourself. Fiber artist Astrid Hilger Bennett will lead two workshops at the CRMA on Saturday, October 17, 2026; you can choose the 10am or 1pm session. Your $35 registration fee covers all your materials to create several hand-dyed indigo textile pieces that are displayable or even functional. Sign up by contacting the CRMA’s Education Director Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org or 319-366-7503. Deadline to sign up is October 9th. Space is limited so sign up early!

 Astrid Hilger Bennett was trained as a printmaker and has worked with textiles since 1975, creating award-winning pieces exhibited internationally.  From new or upcycled fabrics, she also creates functional items suitable for the kitchen or shared experiences centered on food. She has decades of experience working with fiber reactive dyes, and more recently, natural dyes, using them for mark making, painting, screen printing, monoprinting, and immersion dyeing. You can view her solo exhibition, Making A Mark: The Art of Astrid Hilger Bennett (on view 9/12/2026 through 1/3/2027), at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Clar Baldus began making recycled paper from more traditional plant fibers like papyrus and corn husks, but began experimenting with other botanical elements like lavender, marigolds, tomatoes, and onions, and the results are astounding! See—and smell—some of her experiments and learn to do it yourself! While you’re here, pop into the galleries to see Making a Mark: The Art of Astrid Hilger Bennett (9/12/2026-1/3/2027) and Threading the Needle: Fiber Art in Iowa (10/3/2026-1/17/2027).