Location: Iowa

In the 1980s, Horn Elementary School students in Iowa City kindled a pen pal relationship with Keith Haring. In 1989, the artist visited Horn to paint a mural, which remained untouched at the school for 35 years. Beginning on May 4, the public will be able to view the work for the first time alongside other memorabilia from Haring's time in Iowa City.

How Jordan’s “Musical Ambassadress” teamed up with Oskaloosa’s local choir for a week of cultural exchange and learning.

From 2019-24, we supported six partners as they created unique artist residencies with their communities. Here’s what we learned along the way.

During 2020, spoken-word-artist Akwi Nji couldn't get on stage anymore to express herself in front of live audiences, so she turned to visual art. It led to a complete overhaul of her artistic mindset — one that included shredding (literally) her early material.

Trappist Caskets, located near the New Melleray Abbey in northeast Iowa, prayerfully serves families and the land.

Marissa Hernandez invited young people from this small-town community to help paint murals that amplify culture and representation.

Young people in Hampton, Iowa, home to Latino immigrants and exchange students from around the world, hosted a unique event to celebrate diversity, difference, and culture.

Artist Pat Acton has been making “Matchstick Marvels” from his home in Gladbrook, Iowa, for nearly five decades. He says after one more commission from Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, he hopes to keep his remaining work in Gladbrook, where the town built a museum for his sculptures to help anchor the downtown.

From growing their materials to teaching others the craft, Lee Zieke and Lindsay Lee’s artistic practices are creatively interwoven with their lives.

The prestigious program, which shaped the course of creative writing in the United States, helped make Iowa City one of UNESCO’s first designated Cities of Literature.