Cedar Rapids Museum of Art — Attraction in Cedar Rapids

There are three must-see sites in my suggestions to visitors to Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is one of them. This beautifully preserved building, originally the Carnegie library, now houses an impressive number of permanent collections and exhibits. You will see Grant Wood, Marvin Cone, Mauricio Lasansky, Jun Kaneko, and others. Roman art is also displayed. There is a well curated collection of books about art and artists in the Stamats library that is housed in the Museum building. It is a wonderful resource for students and art enthusiasts. There is an ongoing schedule of programs, discussions, and a book group, all of which provide a multi layered experience for any interest and age group. Add to it a really beautiful museum gift shop where you can count on finding the perfect gift from jewelery, art, lovely fashion accessories, children's toys, puzzles, and games along with cards and books. Visitors can rely on the helpful advice and guidance of well-informed, friendly employees and...

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...

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...