Education
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art offers a wide variety of programs for adults, children, and families including:
Art Bites: (in person-socially distant) On the first Wednesday of every month our Curator of Collections and Exhibitions Kate Kunau or our Executive Director Sean Ulmer speaks about an aspect of one of the current exhibitions. This 30-45 minute presentation is free and includes free admission to all of the galleries.
Art Lovers Book Club: (in person) Our long-running book club selects books based on current exhibitions. Anyone can join at any time. It is held on the third Thursday of every month and is free. You can find a complete listing of upcoming books on the events tab.
Guided Meditation: Led by Noelle Holmes from the Healing Arts Center, guided meditation has a particular theme each month and is held at the Grant Wood Studio all year round. The class takes place on the third Thursday of every month at 6:00 PM. The fee is $10 payable to Noelle Holmes and the suggested ages are 13 and up.
Family Fun Day: Three times a year the Museum holds a Family Fun Day with activities for all ages to enjoy. You also have the opportunity to view all of the exhibitions for free.
Pajama Storytime: (Facebook and Youtube or in person) PJ Storytimes are for ages pre-school through 7 years. We read a story in the galleries and then do a fun art activity. Free for children and their adult companions. Bring a stuffed friend to cuddle with and wear your PJs!
Doodlebugs: (in person and in zoom/YouTube) Doodlebugs classes are held monthly at the Hiawatha Public Library, Marion Public Library, and the North Liberty Community Library. Each Doodlebugs class has a theme that relates to our exhibitions. We read a story and then do fun and sometimes messy art activity. Free.
Summer Camp: So much of art-making is about the product. Much of the time, children are shown an example of what they’re expected to create, so they mostly focus on how to reach that result, and they can find that frustrating. But working artists will tell you that they spend a great deal of their time experimenting and playing, sometimes to see how different materials will react with each other, or as a warm-up exercise. When the focus is on the process and letting whatever happens happen, there can be moments of serendipity. There can be moments of learning and inspiration. So this summer the CRMA’s mini-camps will focus on allowing the ugly moments because they are fun! They can be hilarious. They can show us something we didn’t know was possible. And every once in a while, they transform into something beautiful. -Education Director Erin Thomas
If you would like to arrange your own art-making class, please contact Erin Thomas at ethomas@crma.org.
The Museum's tour schedule is also robust. Each year, the CRMA offers approximately five tours or programs each week. For a full listing of our extensive educational offerings, please click here or visit the Events tab.
Tours: A wide variety of tours from school tours to group tours for various organizations and clubs are available throughout the year. If you are interested in arranging a tour, please contact Erin Thomas, Director of Education, at 319-366-7503 x203 or ethomas@crma.org.
