"I wanted to create some still-life painting in a very tight, realistic manner," Wiederspan said in a statement prepared by the museum. "When I saw that one of the other tenants in the building where my studio is had thrown empty cardboard boxes out into the back corridor, I was instantly inspired."
"Stan Wiederspan: Box Chapel" opens Saturday and remains through Aug. 5 at the museum, 410 Third Ave. S.E. A reception with the artist is scheduled from 6:30-8:30 p.m. May 4. For details, call (319) 366-7503 or visit www.crma.org.
ZOOM A note to doodlers and pack-rats: Hang onto your stuff long enough and it might turn up in an art gallery.A new show at the University of Iowa Museum of Art showcases 30 colored-pencil drawings created on plain, old notebook paper between 1865 and 1910.Although the artists - members of the Cheyenne, Crow, Kiowa, Arapaho, Sioux and other tribes - may not have expected the sketches to last, the works reveal interesting details from a time when native cultures were mixing with white settlers.
AMES - Through April 29: "In His Own Words." Works by Auguste Rodin. Brunnier Art Museum, Iowa State University, 290 Scheman Building. $3 suggested donation. museums@iastate.edu ; (515) 294-3342; www.museums.iastate.edu .
AMES - Friday through June 7: Mary Holtze: Amalgamations. Series of mixed media works calls attention to political, social and personal conflicts. Pioneer Room, Iowa State Memorial Union, Iowa State University.
BETTENDORF - Through April 29: "Enchanted Museum: Exploring the Science of Art." Connect the dots between ancient mosaics and mathematics, impressionist paintings and computer graphics, ancient history and contemporary art through hands-on activities. Family Museum, 2900 Learning Campus Drive. $5 ages 2-59, $2 seniors, $2 for everyone after 5 p.m. (563) 344-4106; www.familymuseum.org .
CEDAR FALLS - Through May 20: "Dr. Seuss Wants You!" Theodor Seuss Geisel's political cartoons from World War II. University of Northern Iowa Museum, 3219 Hudson Road. (319) 273-2188; www.uni.edu/museum .
CEDAR RAPIDS - Through Sept. 2: "Midwestern Visions: Grant Wood, Marvin Cone and Beyond." Wood and Cone are joined by a variety of other Midwestern artists. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. S.E. Adults $7, $6 for seniors and college students, free for 18 and younger, free for everyone 4-8 p.m. Thursdays. info@crma.org ; (319) 366-7503.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Through Oct. 28: "About Face: Portraiture from the Collection." Focusing on images of individuals and groups, "About Face" operates in tandem with the portraiture section of Midwestern Visions in the galleries below. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Adults $7, $6 for seniors and college students, free for 18 and younger, free for everyone 4-8 p.m. Thursdays. info@crma.org ; (319) 366-7503.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Through May 13: "Hidden Treasure." A collection of original children's book illustrations from the Cedar Rapids Public Library. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. Adults $7, $6 for seniors and college students, free for 18 and younger, free for everyone 4-8 p.m. Thursdays. (319) 366-7503.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Through Dec. 31: Art in Roman Life. Includes more than 50 works from coins to glass vessels and ceramic lamps to marble sculptures; more than 600 years of artistic production that comprised daily life in Rome from the first century B.C. through the fall of the Roman Empire. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. info@crma.org ; (319) 366-7503.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Saturday through Aug. 5: Stan Wiederspan: The Box Chapel. Hyper-realistic acrylic paintings representing ordinary cardboard boxes. Dramatically lit, these ordinary objects take on a spiritual feeling. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. info@crma.org ; (319) 366-7503; www.crma.org .
CEDAR RAPIDS - Through May 5: "Accidental Gardens." Works by Karen Strohbeen and Bill Luchsinger. CornerHouse Gallery, 2753 First Ave. S.E. Free. (319) 365-4348.
CORALVILLE - Through June 15: "Growing Up In Iowa." A collection of 11 diaries dated from the mid-1800s to early 1900s by children living in Iowa. Iowa Children's Museum, 1451 Coral Ridge Ave. Free. (319) 625-6255; www.theicm.org .
DAVENPORT - Through May 27: Deborah Butterfield. An exhibition of 16 "found metal," cast bronze and mixed media sculptures. Figge Art Museum, 225 W. Second St. $7, $6 for seniors and students with ID, $4 for children younger than 12. (563) 326-7804.
DAVENPORT - Ends today: "Girls Series." Works by Marlene Miller. Figge Art Museum. $7, $6 for seniors and students with ID, $4 for children younger than 12. (563) 326-7804.
DAVENPORT - Through May 13: Edward M. Catich exhibit. Figge Art Museum. $7, $6 for seniors and students with ID, $4 for children younger than 12. (563) 326-7804; www.figgeartmuseum.org .
DECORAH - Through Dec. 31: "Space, Place and Memory: Landscapes from the Vesterheim Collection." Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, 523 W. Water St. $5, $4 for children. idstrom@vesterheim.org ; (563) 382-9681; www.vesterheim.org .
DES MOINES - Through May 5: Bachelor of Fine Arts Exhibition Two. Michael DeBord, Erin Headley, Adrianne Konrad and Sarah Whited; Bachelor of Arts Exhibition in the Weeks Gallery: works by Tianshu Ge and Skates Heck. Anderson Gallery, Drake University, 2507 University Ave. Free. 271-1994; www.drake.edu/andersongallery .
DES MOINES - Through May 6: "The Oxford Project: Who We Are." Digital exhibition. Photographer Peter Feldstein took photos of 670 residents of the town of Oxford in 1984. He returned 21 years later to photograph them again. Author Stephen Bloom interviewed them about their lives and how they have changed in the past two decades. Des Moines Art Center, 4700 Grand Ave. 277-4405.
DES MOINES - Through May 2: "Meet the New You." Works by Magnus Wallin, Ruud van Empel, Sabrina Raaf and Bryan Crockett. Des Moines Art Center. Free. 277-4405.
DES MOINES - Friday through Aug. 3: Annual Iowa Artists Exhibition. Features Charlotte Cain of Fairfield, George Lowe of Decorah and Susan Chrysler of Iowa City. Des Moines Art Center Downtown, 800 Walnut St. 271-0317. www.desmoinesartcenter .org/downtown.
DES MOINES - Through May 6: Works by Elaine Anderson. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays and one hour prior to scheduled performances. Des Moines Playhouse, 831 42nd St. Free. info@dmplayhouse.com ; 277-6261; www.dmplayhouse.com .
DES MOINES - Ends Wednesday: Central Iowa Metro League. Works by area students. Heritage Art Gallery, 111 Court Ave. 286-3215; www.heritagegallery.org .
DES MOINES - Through April 30: "Simple is True." Works by Shadley Grei. The Lift, 222 Fourth St. Free. amedeo10mail@yahoo.com ; 288-3777; www.dmlift.com .
DES MOINES - Through May 2: "In Search of the Peranakan Phoenix." Acrylic and oil paintings by Kemlyn Tan Bappe. Ritual Cafe, 1301 Locust St., Suite D. 288-4872; www.ritualcafe.com .
DES MOINES - Through Saturday: Photography by Michael Wetteland. State Library of Iowa, 1112 E. Grand Ave. Free. 281-4105; www.statelibraryofiowa.org .
DUBUQUE - Through May 27: Ingrid Lilligren sculpture. Dubuque Museum of Art, 701 Locust St. $5, $3 for seniors and students, free for 12 and younger. info@dbqart.com ; (563) 557-1851.
DUBUQUE - Through April 29: "Nomi's Rainbow Family." Dubuque Museum of Art. $5, $3 for seniors and students, free for 12 and younger. info@dbqart.com ; (563) 557-1851; www.dbqart.com .
FORT DODGE - Through Saturday: Alfred Stieglitz photography. Eighteen images by Stieglitz taken between 1892 and 1935. Blanden Memorial Art Museum, 920 Third Ave. Free. 573-2316.
FORT DODGE - Through June 29: Paint exhibit. More than 30 paintings, works on paper, and sculpture by major American artists. Blanden Memorial Art Museum. Free. 573-2316; www.blanden.org .
GRINNELL - Ends today: "The Space of Freedom" and "Stories and Histories." Faulconer Gallery, Grinnell College, 1108 Park St. Free. (641) 269-4660; www.grinnell.edu/faulconergallery .
IOWA CITY - Through May 6: Paul Pfeiffer: "Morning After the Deluge." A 20-minute video projection from 2003 manipulates Cape Cod sunsets and sunrises into a hypnotic image, altering perspectives of sun, horizon, water and time. University of Iowa Museum of Art, 150 N. Riverside Drive. (319) 335-1727.
IOWA CITY - Through May 13: "Picturing Eden." More than 130 photographs by 37 contemporary artists explore an earthly paradise. University of Iowa Museum of Art. (319) 335-1727.
IOWA CITY - Wednesday through Sept. 30: "Plains Indian Drawings: The Gerald and Hope Solomons Collection." Thirty drawings from 1865 to 1910 record scenes of hunting, warfare, courtship and domestic activity from a American Indian perspective. University of Iowa Museum of Art. (319) 335-1727; www.uiowa.edu/uima .
PERRY - Through June 1: "On Immigration: Work, Protest and Home." Features photographer Andy Kropa. Carnegie Library Museum, 1123 Willis Ave. Free. 465-7713.
SIOUX CITY - Through May 13: "Celebration: Our Siouxland, Our Art Center." Exhibition featuring artwork for elementary through high school students. Sioux City Art Center, 225 Nebraska St. (712) 279-6272; www.siouxcityartcenter.org .
SIOUX CITY - Through May 20: "Sioux City History Projects." Sioux City Public Museum, 2901 Jackson St. scpm@sioux-city.org ; (712) 279-6174; siouxcitymuseum.org.
WEST DES MOINES - Through May 26: Solo Exhibitions. Paintings by Sarah Grant and Scott Charles Ross. Olson-Larsen Galleries, 203 Fifth St. info@olsonlarsen.com ; 277-6734; www.olsonlarsen.com .
WEST DES MOINES - Through May 20: "Monster Heart: The Art of D. Ryan Allen." Borders, 4100 University Ave. Free. 223-1620; www.bordersstores.com .
AMES - 7 p.m. Monday: "Africa and the New World Order" - documentary by John F. McManus; 7 p.m. Tuesday: "Maangamizi" ("The Ancient One") - An American woman and an African woman are led by an ancient and mysterious ancestor on a journey of spiritual awakening (Swahili with English subtitles); 7 p.m. Wednesday "9/11 Press for the Truth" - documentary of five prominent members of the Family Steering Committee telling their story for the first time on film, arguing 9/11 still needs investigation; 6:30 p.m. Thursday: "My Antonia" - movie based on the book by Willa Cather. Farwell T. Brown Auditorium, Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Ave. (515) 233-4500.
CEDAR RAPIDS - Today: Free series of animated and live-action children's films. Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, 410 Third Ave. S.E. (319) 366-7503; www.crma.org .
DAVENPORT - 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Monday; 1:30 and 7 p.m. Tuesday: "Postcards from Italy." Presented by Steve McCurdy. One in a series of six travel- related shows. Putnam Museum and IMAX Theatre, 1717 W. 12th St. $6. museum@putnam.org ; (563) 324-1933; www.putnam.org .
MASON CITY - Ends today: Iowa Independent Film Festival. About 50 films will be shown in five categories at three venues. Workshops also will be held. Music Man Square, 308 S. Pennsylvania Ave. schinric@hotmail.com ; (641) 424-2852; www.iowaindependentfilm festival.com.
ADEL - 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday: Iowa Book Festival. Family-friendly festival brings books and book lovers together in downtown Adel for readings, workshops, children's activities, a book swap meet and other activities. Free. adel@netins.net ; 993-5472 or 490-4754.
CEDAR RAPIDS - 7 p.m. Thursday: "Starting Out for the Difficult World." Iowa poet laureate Robert Dana. Flaherty Community Room, Basile Hall, Mount Mercy College, 1330 Elmhurst Drive N.E. Free. (319) 363-1323; www.mtmercy.edu .
OSKALOOSA - 7 p.m. Thursday: "Hick." Author talk, reading and book signing by Andrea Portes. Book Vault, 105 S. Market St. Free. (641) 676-1777.
WEST DES MOINES - 7 p.m. Tuesdays: Writers' Club. Join other writers to increase skills, trade ideas and learn insider tips. Borders, 4100 University Ave. 223-1620; www.bordersstores.com .
BURLINGTON - 3 p.m. today: Cirque Symphonique Family Concert. Southeast Iowa Symphony Orchestra. Memorial Auditorium, 200 N. Front St. $10 adults, $5 students ages 5-18, $3 children ages 4 and younger. seiso@iwc.edu ; (319) 753-8128; www.burlingtonauditorium.com .
DES MOINES - 7:30 p.m. Saturday: Essential Water. The Des Moines Choral Society. Grace United Methodist Church, 3700 Cottage Grove Ave. $20 preferred seating, $12 general seating and $6 student/child general seating. tickets@dmchoral.org ; 273-5255; www.dmchoral.org . Reservations suggested.
DUBUQUE - 2 p.m. today: Dubuque Symphony Orchestra Classics 5: Grand Finale. Five Flags Center, 405 Main St. $13-$65. (563) 589-4258; www.fiveflagscenter.com .
IOWA CITY - 2 p.m. today: Music at the Museum: "Lieder and Melodie: Romantic Art Song of the 19th Century." University of Iowa Museum of Art, 150 N. Riverside Drive. (319) 335-1727; www.uiowa.edu/uima .
LAMONI - 7:30 p.m. Friday: Pianists Ralph and Albertine Votapek perform Schubert, Mozart, Debussy and Piazzolla. Shaw Center for the Performing Arts, Graceland University. Free. (641) 784-5268; www.graceland.edu/finearts .
ORANGE CITY - 3 p.m. today: Piano recital. Jonathan Sokasits, professor of piano at Hastings College. Christ Chapel, Northwestern College, 101 Seventh St. S.W. Free. (712) 707-7116; www.nwciowa.edu .
PERRY - 2 p.m. today: University of Northern Iowa Varsity Men's Glee Club. First United Methodist Church, 1100 Third St. Freewill offering. 465-4178.
URBANDALE - 7:30 p.m. Tuesday: The Des Moines Diversity Chorus. Brian Akipa, American Indian flute soloist and flute maker from Sisseton, S.D., will be guest artist. Urbandale United Church of Christ, 3530 70th St. Freewill offering. geojanh@msn.com ; 255-6367.
ALTOONA - 11 a.m. Saturday: "Alice in Wonderland." Just like adult dinner theater, only lunch on Saturdays. Class Act Productions, 201 First Ave. S. $10. 967-7950; www.captheatre.org .
AMES - 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday: "Waiting for Godot." Maintenance Shop, 2229 Lincoln Way, Room 7. Adults $13, seniors $12, children and students $7. (515) 294-2772; www. m-shop.com.
CEDAR RAPIDS -2 p.m. today, 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday: "Aunt Dan & Lemon." Coe College, 1220 First Ave. N.E. $20 adults, $15 students and seniors. (877) 255-5263; www.coe.edu .
CEDAR RAPIDS - Friday and Saturday: One Act Play Festival. Features student-directed productions ranging from comedies to dramas. McAuley Theater, Mount Mercy College, 1330 Elmhurst Drive N.E. (319) 363-1323, ext. 1229; www.mtmercy.edu .
CEDAR RAPIDS - 7:30 p.m. Thursday: "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat." Paramount Theatre, 123 Third St. S.E. $39-$45. (319) 366-8203; www.uscellularcenter.com .
DECORAH - 7:30 p.m. Thursday, through Saturday: "The Odd Couple." New Minowa Players Theatre, 906 S. Mill. $10 adults, $5 ages 12 and younger. (563) 382-3728.
DES MOINES - 1 and 6:30 p.m. today: "Mamma Mia!" Features ABBA's music. Civic Center of Greater Des Moines, 221 Walnut St. $25-$67.50. 246-2300; www.civiccenter.org .
DES MOINES - 2 p.m. today; 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday: "The Full Monty." Des Moines Playhouse, 831 42nd St. $19-$32. 277-6261; www.dmplayhouse.com .
DES MOINES - 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday: "Baby with the Bathwater." Studio 55, Harmon Fine Arts Center, Drake University, Carpenter Avenue and 25th Street. $5 adults, $3 non-Drake students and senior citizens, $1 with Drake ID. 271-3841.
DES MOINES - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 5 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 3 p.m. Sunday through April 29: "The Male Intellect: An Oxymoron?" Temple for Performing Arts, 1011 Locust St. $25-$30. 288-4700; www.civiccenter.org .
DUBUQUE - 3 p.m. today; 7:30 p.m. Thursday; 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday: "A Bad Year for Tomatoes." Bell Tower Theater and Event Center, 2728 Asbury Road. $17, Theater/dinner package $37. (563) 588-3377; www.belltower theater.net.
IOWA CITY - 2 and 7 p.m. Saturday: "Snow White." Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St. $10, $5 seniors/students. (319) 688-2653. www.englert.org .
IOWA CITY - Today: "Hairspray." Tony Award winner for best musical. Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa. (319) 335-1160; www.hancher.uiowa.edu .
ORANGE CITY - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday: Shakespeare's "Measure for Measure." Allen Black Box Theater, DeWitt Theatre Arts Center, Northwestern College, 101 Seventh St. S.W. $5 adults, $3 students. boxoffice@nwciowa.edu ; (712) 707-7098; www.nwciowa.edu/theatre .
PELLA - 7:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday: "The Real Inspector Hound." Kruidenier Center, Central College, 812 University St. $5 adults, $3 students, free with Central ID. (641) 628-5335.
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