Amazing time, quant, peaceful & informative(: The Roman Empire exhibit was super unexpected & exciting in my opinion w/the coin collection & history of empresses. Honestly really good exhibits. Love the landscape of Iowa w/amazing security around the facility & front desk read more

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - Museums Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

See all

I'll go ahead and give them five stars because it was free the day/time I went, and they don't force you to exit thru the gift shop. Otherwise it's a bit small but since I don't know what they charge even I won't judge them for that. What they did have was generally pretty impressive, the Grant Wood collection was surprisingly beautiful. The Roman section had some great historic items as well. There's as a large focus on local Iowa artists, and a lot of landscape works at the moment at least. Plenty of free parking in the area on weekdays, I saw a garage too but don't know the situation. Staff is friendly and helpful. Definitely worth checking out. Building is old and pretty cool. read more

See all

Arguably, one of the most iconic paintings by an American artist is Grant Wood's 'American Gothic.' That 1930 painting hangs at the Art Institute of Chicago. The reason to visit the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is because it has the largest collection of Grant Wood works anywhere. What's on view in one gallery provides a bit of insight into the artist. Unlike the stoic image of 'American Gothic,' we learn here that Wood had a good sense of humor with a mischievous nature. When a family purchased a mansion with plans to convert it into a funeral home, they hired Wood to redesign the interior. He converted the unused upper floor of a rear carriage house into his studio and residence. On display in the gallery is a door he created from a coffin lid. He painted a clock on the door with a moveable metal arrow that pointed to the time he would return to his studio. The arrow could also point to 'Is Taking A Bath,' 'Is Having A Party,' or 'Out of Town.' During his last year of teaching at a local high school, Wood made sculpted bouquets called 'Lilies of the Alley.' Basically, these were floral bouquets made of junk that he found in the alley outside his studio. They are whimsical and fun. What to make of the rest of the museum? Largely, it's meh. The bizarre exterior ornamentation compliments a lackluster 1989 building that was bolted on to the much more beautiful old library. The lobby is strangely overwhelmed with so many plants that it feels like a botanical garden. Almost every gallery is painted in a bland tan color. The exception is a gallery of quite unremarkable Roman busts and, for some reason, Roman reproductions. With rare exceptions, the whole reproductions thing faded out of museums many decades ago. The walls in this gallery are painted in the garish colors common to that time. One very interesting work is the series of plaster friezes from about 1924 by Malvina Hoffman. They hang on the walls of the old library. Inspired by Paris' Ballet Russes, an incredibly popular and skilled dance troupe, she was determined to capture movement in this series, titled 'Bacchanale Frieze.' These are not copies. These are the originals bequeathed to the museum from Hoffman's estate and deserve a much more prominent and respectful display. Malvina Hoffman was a prolific early 20th century sculptor who studied under Rodin. In an age where men dominated sculpture almost exclusively, Hoffman was a rarity of amazing talent. Her ability to capture likeness, form, and movement was a singular achievement. While stimulating is not the word I'd use to describe a visit here, I can only imagine what a good curator and interior designer could do to unlock the potential of the square footage and the further reaches of the permanent collection. read more

See all

I really enjoyed my first visit to this wonderful museum; my primary purpose was to see their Grant Wood collection. I phoned ahead of time to better understand their holdings as well as their relationship to the Grant Wood studio a few blocks away. I was fortunate enough to speak with Sean, the Executive Director, who went above and beyond to not only answer my basic questions, but also to provide many suggestions as to how to maximize my visit, including his recommendation to ensure that I view their works by Marvin Cone, whom I was not familiar with. I am grateful for Sean's guidance, and am now a new fan of Cone. The museum has a well-rounded curation, and features a variety of types paintings, sculpture, and ceramics, to name a few, as well as a fantastic museum store. I highly recommend a visit. read more

My fiancé and I went on a date to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. We were greeted by a very nice and informative gentleman. Entry cost per person was a reasonable $8 per person. We walked through the museum and looked at all of the neat and interesting artwork. Some of the paintings I thought were not very artistic as they looked as though a toddler painted them but that is what art is all about. Overall though, it was neat to look around at everything. Every room we entered had some very cool and informative Czech history in it. Also, at the end, we went into the gift shop, which had a lot of neat and authentic items for sale. Definitely recommend!! read more

See all

The size of this museum was perfect to comfortably explore during a visit to Cedar Rapids this year. It features a lot of work by Grant Wood, which was really interesting. read more

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - Artwork - Museums Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

See all

As a native Iowan, I learned a lot about the world renowned artists who have spent time in this beautiful state, including Grant Wood and Martin Cone. Excellent curation and a must-see for travelers nd more importantly, for Iowans! read more

Cedar Rapids Museum of Art - Grant Wood exhibition - Museums Near Me - Cedar Rapids, Iowa

Very nice, local art museum. Definitely worth a visit if you are within an hours drive. If I was local, I would probably visit often, maybe even just to hang out in the older section (it's very comfortable). The collection is wonderfully eclectic and the staff is very friendly and welcoming. Well-worth $10 for a visit. read more

See all

This art museum is a fantastic way to spend your afternoon. While it's small (takes maybe two hours to walk through) the variety that it provides is wonderful. It is also free for college students! So if you're in college and want a cute date location or just to see some art, I highly recommend it! read more

I was very excited to check out this art museum. We lucked out and hit it on Saturday and it was free. Walking all the floors we spent a good amount of time checking out all the different pieces of art. I really enjoyed the art by the local native of Grant Wood and lots of other Midwestern art. I was happy that we were able to hit this stop and would definitely come back again. read more

A must see if you're in the CR area. I lived in Cedar Rapids for many years and this was always one of my favorite places. They regularly have new exhibits and display a lot of work from native Iowan artists; Grant Wood for example. They have an excellent gift shop and can also accommodate larger group events. A real gem. read more

I love the art museum! It's such a great little treasure for Cedar Rapids. There are a bunch of Grant Woods, as well as some of his students typically on display. The staff is friendly and accommodating. I've been there on my own and with a group of work people. There's an upstairs gallery, as well as the downstairs. The gift shop has tons of cute things for an art follower to enjoy, and would be great for gifts for any art connoisseur. My favorite thing is on the landing between the first and second floor. It's a converted cigarette machine that pops out art! If you ask the staff, you can exchange money for tokens, and receive your very own piece of art for only $5! We have these cool little dogs paintings. I would highly recommend the museum for a rainy afternoon! read more

Great place to check out some amazing art - especially the Grant Wood pieces. Extremely affordable, with helpful service. The museum also includes a lot of awesome exhibits and an overall great vibe. Highly recommend! read more

Love this museum and it has a great location right across from Greene Square Park... gives it a "metropolitan feel". My first experience here was within weeks of moving to Cedar Rapids. I took a class from internationally recognized sumi-e artist Karen Kurka Jensen in one of the museum's classrooms. The classrooms are a great size and were in a more private location (away from the museum exhibits). The museum store has all of the artsy stuff, with a huge focus on Grant Wood/Iowa artists/pieces. You can rent rooms in the museum for events, too. What a gorgeous and unique location for a wedding reception! Becoming a member is affordable, too. Much more so than other "big city" museums. Fees start at only 30 bucks! I was surprised to find that out. I once had a tour with a docent, which I highly recommend. They are so knowledgable and will point out information and facts about exhibits that you might not have otherwise noticed or known. Definitely one of my favorite places downtown, or in the greater Cedar Rapids area for that matter! read more

it's local culture....must support...must. coming from a place where museums where on every corner- this is the first one i've been to that the exhibiting artist was sitting in the library working on a pc and i was able to have a chat w her!? WAY COOL! (big ups Cat Chow!) the artist talks are great too and the annual membership fee is CHEAP! read more

Beautiful building and a nice collection for a smaller town. Was looking forward to seeing native Grant Wood works and I got 2 pieces of art from the art-o-matic vending machine! My only little gripe was that (3) of the current exhibitions; Carved, America on Paper, and Mauricio Lasansky are all basically prints... lots and lots of paper. Very pleasant visit in all. read more

A very pleasant surprise. We were passing through and thought we would check it out. A wonderful collection of Grant Wood (the American Gothic guy). Well worth a little detour and an hour or two. The staff were extremely helpful as well. They turned us on to the Grant Wood studio, which is a few blocks away, so we did that too. read more

I loved the fact that they displayed so many local artists. All from Cedar Rapids and the surrounding areas. Great works of art: prints, paintings and sculptures. And a photographer that died at age 23. Amazing people! read more

This is a great place for culture in Cedar Rapids. They have great special exhibits, a manageable collection (especially if you have little ones), and the building is beautiful. My husband and I got married there in 2010. The architecture is wonderful - we got great pictures inside and out, and the rental space upstairs was perfect for our ceremony. If you are looking for a place to host an event, I would highly recommend using the CRMA. The staff is professional and helpful, Beth Roof even gave us a great recommendation for an art museum to visit during our honeymoon in Italy! :) read more

A lovely little museum! Nicely designed building. Love the plants in the lobby area. Nice collections. Nice focus on native son Grant Wood and Midwestern art in general. And the benches throughout are beautiful examples of functional art! Definitely worth a visit! read more