Official State of Iowa Website Here is how you know
Agencies A-Z Programs & Services

Press Releases

Read the latest news about programs, projects, events and initiatives of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.

2023

Apr 28, 2023
Five Iowa students receive arts scholarship awards

Apr 25, 2023
Sixty-two Iowa students win state history contest, advance to National History Day national finals

Apr 5, 2023
World Food Prize Foundation President Ambassador Terry Branstad to discuss Farm Crisis of the 1980s

Mar 28, 2023
2023 Preserve Iowa Summit set for June 1-3 in Sioux City

Mar 16, 2023
State Historical Society of Iowa’s book club kicks off March 30

Jan 10, 2023
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs invests $1.5 million in building creative places

2022

Dec 16, 2022
State Historical Society of Iowa calls for board and awards nominations

Nov 17, 2022
Iowa Arts Council leads statewide effort to measure economic impact of the arts

Nov 17, 2022
Iowa Arts Council honors five new Iowa Artist Fellows

Nov 15, 2022
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to showcase Iowa art, food and entertainment

Oct 31, 2022
State Historical Society of Iowa’s online collection of educational materials tops 3 million views

Aug 15, 2022
Two Iowa State University students named Iowa History Dissertation Fellows

Aug 15, 2022
Two Iowa State University students named Iowa History Dissertation Fellows

Aug 10, 2022
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs launches program to train next generation of nonprofit leaders

Aug 3, 2022
Step into history at the Iowa State Fair

Jul 28, 2022
Gov. Reynolds and Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announce $2.3 million in grant awards

Jul 22, 2022
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs designates Iowa Great Places and Cultural & Entertainment Districts

Jun 24, 2022
2022 Iowa Arts Summit Speakers Announced Registration for the August 10-12 conference is open now

Jun 23, 2022
Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg and State Historical Society of Iowa announce Excellence in History awards

Jun 22, 2022
Iowa students take top honors at National History Day national contest

Jun 16, 2022
State Historical Society of Iowa wins two prestigious AASLH Awards of Excellence

Jun 6, 2022
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces state’s highest historic preservation awards

Jun 2, 2022
State Historical Society of Iowa Project Receives $200,000 Carver Trust Grant

May 31, 2022
Mobile museum hits the road, packed with 13,000 years of Iowa history

May 25, 2022
Iowa's 175th Anniversary of Statehood Campaign Receives Regional Recognition

May 4, 2022
Four Iowa students receive prestigious arts scholarships

May 4, 2022
Leah Rogers of Mount Vernon wins lifetime achievement award from State Historical Society of Iowa

Apr 27, 2022
Preserve Iowa Summit set for June 2-4 in Mason City

Apr 26, 2022
Seventy Iowa students advance to National History Day national contest

Apr 7, 2022
Four Iowa cultural attractions receive Folk Arts Apprenticeship grants

Mar 15, 2022
Marshalltown High School repeats as Poetry Out Loud state champions

Feb 23, 2022
March is Iowa History Month

Feb 16, 2022
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs opens new round of grants for art, film, history, humanities and more

Feb 1, 2022
Iowans Preserve Historical Assets with Grants from Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

Jan 12, 2022
State Historical Society of Iowa announces 2022 Iowa History Book Club schedule

Jan 6, 2022
Iowa’s creative places to benefit from Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs programs

Jan 5, 2022
‘The Film Lounge’ to showcase Iowa films via statewide broadcast after Iowa City premiere

2021

Dec 15, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces Humanities Project Grants

Dec 14, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa calls for nominations for board and statewide awards

Nov 19, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs presents 10th annual Celebrate Iowa Gala

Nov 10, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announce $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Grants

Nov 5, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards $1 million in grants to market the return of arts and culture

Oct 28, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces new investments in creative places

Oct 22, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs marks state’s 175th anniversary

Oct 21, 2021
Iowa short film wins Student Academy Award

Oct 5, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa unveils user-friendly online catalog

Sep 24, 2021
Governor Reynolds Announces New Funding to Promote Re-engagement in Iowa Arts, Film, History, and Culture

Sep 8, 2021
Iowa Arts Council names five new Iowa Artist Fellows

Sep 7, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa to commemorate 9/11

Sep 1, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces three new grant programs

Aug 4, 2021
Step Into History at the Iowa State Fair

Jul 19, 2021
For Iowa’s 175th Anniversary, State Historical Society of Iowa Offers Pop-Up Displays and Historical Markers

Jul 8, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards $2.3 million

Jul 1, 2021
New Iowa history exhibition hits the road to 99 counties

Jun 21, 2021
Nashua-Plainfield student takes first place at 2021 National History Day contest

Jun 14, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa reopens Research Centers in Iowa City and Des Moines

Jun 4, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa announces top awards for historic preservation

May 25, 2021
State Historical Society of Iowa announces state's highest history awards

May 25, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards Rural Revitalization Grants

May 5, 2021
63 Iowa students earn honors at National History Day contest

May 5, 2021
Iowa Arts Council announces art scholarship winner

Apr 5, 2021
Iowa Fine Arts Education Summit set for June 17

Mar 24, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces new humanities partnership

Mar 16, 2021
Elijah Thiessen of Marshalltown High School wins 2021 Poetry Out Loud state final

Feb 23, 2021
Celebrate Iowa History Month beginning March 1

Feb 15, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs unveils new Civil Rights history resources

Feb 11, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces new grant round for arts, culture, film and history

Feb 2, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards $108,000 for Historic Preservation

Jan 27, 2021
Gov. Reynolds Proclaims Donna Reed Day

Jan 22, 2021
Iowa PBS presents season 5 of The Film Lounge

Jan 22, 2021
Surf Ballroom Designated a National Historic Landmark

Jan 7, 2021
Iowa marks 175 years of statehood

Jan 6, 2021
Iowa Arts Council awards Virtual Arts Experience grants

Jan 5, 2021
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awards $1.25 million in community placemaking grants

2020

Dec 22, 2020
Iowa invests $7 million in recovery grants for arts, creative and cultural sector

Dec 7, 2020
State Historical Society of Iowa accepting awards and board nominations

Dec 2, 2020
Gov. Reynolds Announces COVID-19 Arts & Cultural Recovery Program

Nov 9, 2020
Celebrate Iowa Gala showcases art, culture and entertainment

Oct 27, 2020
Arts and culture strengthen communities, spur economic development and attract tourism

Oct 7, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs offers new grants for derecho relief

Oct 1, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs unveils online Educational Resources

Sep 29, 2020
Iowa receives federal grant to support rural revitalization through historic preservation and community development

Aug 26, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Announces New Iowa Great Places and Cultural & Entertainment Districts

Aug 12, 2020
Iowa Arts Council announces Governor's Arts Awards

Aug 4, 2020
Iowa Arts Summit helps strengthen communities statewide

Jul 29, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces state's highest awards for history

Jul 17, 2020
More than $2 million awarded in art, film and history grants

Jun 23, 2020
Iowa students win top honors at National History Day finals

Jun 12, 2020
New Iowa Arts Council program weaves folk arts into classrooms

Jun 5, 2020
Virtual ceremony honors 14 Iowa historic preservation projects

Jun 3, 2020
Iowa's statewide historic preservation summit goes virtual

Jun 3, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs distributes CARES Act funds to cultural and humanities nonprofits

May 21, 2020
Cherokee adds three properties to National Register of Historic Places

May 11, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs announces additional emergency grants for cultural organizations

May 7, 2020
Four Iowa high school seniors receive scholarships for the arts

Apr 24, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs distributes emergency grants for artists and nonprofits

Apr 10, 2020
Boone County one-room schoolhouse added to National Register of Historic Places

Mar 16, 2020
Hulme House in Henry County added to National Register of Historic Places

Mar 9, 2020
Two Iowa City landmarks added to National Register of Historic

Mar 6, 2020
Coggon Commercial Historic District added to National Register of Historic Places

Mar 3, 2020
State Historical Museum of Iowa announces 2020 summer camp programs

Feb 20, 2020
Iowa Artists Help Celebrate State Parks Centennial

Feb 20, 2020
Arts Build Communities

Feb 20, 2020
Iowans to celebrate Iowa History Month in March

Feb 13, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs launches 19th Amendment Centennial Celebration

Feb 11, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to Host Grant Information Sessions Across the State

Jan 27, 2020
Algona High School Student-Teacher Team to Study World War II in Hawaii

Jan 27, 2020
State Historical Society of Iowa Names New Editor for Annals of Iowa

Jan 16, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Awards $1 Million in Iowa Great Places Grants

Jan 13, 2020
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Announces 2020 Arts and Cultural Grants and Designation Opportunities

Jan 2, 2020
Celebrate Iowa Gala Hosts More Than 650 Guests and Raises Over $150,000

Jan 2, 2020
'The Film Lounge' Season 4 Watch Parties Set for Iowa City and Des Moines

2019

Dec 20, 2019
Nashua Educator Completes NHD's "Understanding Sacrifice" Program, Publishes Research on Award-Winning Website

Dec 12, 2019
State Historical Society Accepting Awards and Board Nominations

Dec 6, 2019
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Awards 10 Historic Preservation Grants

Nov 7, 2019
Matching-Gift Campaign: Support the Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop in Haverhill

Nov 1, 2019
State Historical Society's Mobile Museum Completes 3-Year Tour of Iowa's 99 Counties

Oct 9, 2019
Iowa Rolls Out Professional Development Program for Arts and History Teachers

Oct 1, 2019
'The Film Lounge: Student Challenge' Now Open for Film Submissions

Sep 26, 2019
State Historical Museum's "First in the Nation" Exhibition Open Through February

Aug 28, 2019
Renovations Underway at State Historical Building of Iowa

Aug 22, 2019
East Village Added to National Register of Historic Places

Aug 15, 2019
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Appoints Jana Rieker as Director of Strategic Initiatives

Aug 1, 2019
Arts Forum Invites Candidates and Iowans to Discuss Arts Policy

Jul 26, 2019
Iowa Native and Oscar®-Winning Director to Visit Des Moines Aug. 7

Jul 23, 2019
Amenda Tate Turns Dance Movement Into Paintings With Help From Robot

Jul 22, 2019
Roselle Church and Cemetery Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jul 18, 2019
Step Into History on Opening Day of the Iowa State Fair

Jul 12, 2019
Albertson and Company/Rocklin Manufacturing Company Building Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jun 28, 2019
$2.1 Million Art, Film and History Grants Awarded to Iowans

Jun 25, 2019
Allamakee County Church Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jun 24, 2019
Nearly 400 Arts Educators Gather for Inaugural Education Summit

Jun 21, 2019
Iowa Students Take Top Honors at National History Day Contest

Jun 11, 2019
Muscatine County Home Dairy Barn Added to National Register of Historic Places

May 22, 2019
Yale High School Gymnasium Added to National Register of Historic Places

May 6, 2019
67 Students Take Honors at National History Day in Iowa State Contest

Apr 25, 2019
Lt. Gov. Gregg Presents Excellence in History Awards

Apr 24, 2019
Lt. Governor Presents Iowa Scholarship for the Arts Awards

Apr 19, 2019
Iowa Launches ‘20 Artists, 20 Parks’ to Commemorate State Park Centennial

Mar 26, 2019
Iowa Fine Arts Education Summit Set for June 20 in Ankeny

Mar 5, 2019
Governor Reynolds Proclaims March as Iowa History Month

Mar 5, 2019
Sioux City Heelan Student Wins 2019 Poetry Out Loud in Iowa State Finals

Feb 28, 2019
Manson Student and Teacher Selected for 'Sacrifice for Freedom' World War II Program

Feb 18, 2019
New Lecture Series Shares Iowa Stories from the Past

Feb 7, 2019
Iowa Scholarship for the Arts Applications Due March 1

Feb 7, 2019
Vermeer Farmstead in Mahaska County Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 30, 2019
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Opens Next Round of Grants and Opportunities

Jan 29, 2019
Farmers’ State Bank of Volga Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 29, 2019
First National Bank of Davenport Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 28, 2019
New 'Art at the Cafe' Exhibition Showcases Works by Whitney Courtney Nastanovich

Jan 22, 2019
Iowa City’s First Unitarian Church Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 22, 2019
Washington West Side Historic District Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 10, 2019
Season 3 of "The Film Lounge" Premieres Next Month

Jan 8, 2019
Chris Kramer to Lead Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

Jan 4, 2019
Audubon County's Ross Elevator Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 4, 2019
Sioux City School Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 4, 2019
Colfax Commercial District Added to National Register of Historic Places

2018

Dec 20, 2018
Nearly $1 Million Awarded to Projects in Five Iowa Great Places

Dec 20, 2018
Artists, Students and Leaders to Solve Community Problems

Dec 6, 2018
State Historical Society of Iowa Accepting Award and Board Nominations

Oct 23, 2018
World War I Armistice Day Centennial Commemoration Set for Nov. 10

Oct 19, 2018
Capitol Building and State Historical Museum Offer Double Dose of Art

Oct 11, 2018
Local Relative Donates Artifacts of Frank Lloyd Wright's Father and Family

Oct 10, 2018
Iowa Arts Council Delivers Art-Based Solutions to Civic Challenges

Oct 2, 2018
Iowa Film Lounge Preps for Halloween, Student Films and Third Season Premiere

Sep 25, 2018
Iowa Arts Council's Artist Fellows Prep for Statewide Tour

Sep 6, 2018
Des Moines, Grinnell Projects Receive State's Top Historic Preservation Awards

Aug 29, 2018
Agriculture Art Exhibition Winners Announced

Aug 24, 2018
Prohibition Exhibition Comes to State Historical Museum of Iowa Sept. 1-Oct. 20

Aug 7, 2018
Governor's Arts Awards Honor Arts and Community Leaders

Jul 31, 2018
State Historical Society of Iowa Mobile Museum to Visit Iowa State Fair

Jul 26, 2018
Iowa Arts Council Names Five New Iowa Artist Fellows

Jul 26, 2018
Reynolds Welcomes New Artwork from Cumming and Dubuque Artists

Jul 19, 2018
Annual Historical Walking Tour to Kick Off the Iowa State Fair

Jul 18, 2018
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Names Cedar County a New Iowa Great Place

Jul 12, 2018
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Awards $2 Million in Grants

Jun 29, 2018
Mason City Cemetery Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jun 21, 2018
State Historical Museum of Iowa Gears Up for New Exhibitions

Jun 21, 2018
Students Earn Medals at 2018 National History Day Contest in Maryland

May 24, 2018
Iowa Arts Summit Draws State and National Arts Leaders to Des Moines Aug. 3

May 18, 2018
New Centennial Exhibit Honors More Than 4,000 World War I Casualties From Iowa

May 14, 2018
Hit the Road with the State Historical Society of Iowa This Summer

May 10, 2018
State Historical Museum of Iowa Showcases Successful Human Rights Campaign in "Power of Protest: The Movement to Free Soviet Jews"

May 7, 2018
Lt. Governor Gregg Presents Iowa Arts Scholarships

May 4, 2018
Nominations for Iowa's Next Poet Laureate Accepted Through July 1

May 3, 2018
70 Students Take Top Honors at National History Day in Iowa Contest

May 2, 2018
Fire Up the Coals and Become a Blacksmith in Haverhill

Apr 30, 2018
State Historical Society of Iowa's Mobile Museum Begins Second Year

Apr 24, 2018
New 'Art at the Cafe' Exhibition Showcases Mary Jones' "The Looking Dress"

Apr 13, 2018
Reynolds, Gregg Present Iowa History Awards

Apr 9, 2018
New Project to Survey Iowa's Civil Rights Properties and People

Apr 6, 2018
Wanted by June 1: Iowa Films for Third Season of 'The Film Lounge'

Mar 20, 2018
Lt. Gov. Gregg Unveils Local History Network

Mar 6, 2018
Youth Art Month Exhibition on Display March 10-24 at State Historical Museum of Iowa

Mar 5, 2018
Sioux City Students Sweep 2018 Poetry Out Loud in Iowa State Finals

Feb 28, 2018
Take an 'Adventure into Iowa's Past' at State Historical Museum of Iowa

Feb 12, 2018
History of Photography in Iowa Lecture Feb. 15

Feb 9, 2018
State Historical Museum Announces New Children's Programming

Feb 7, 2018
Downtown Osceola Added to National Register of Historic Places

Jan 31, 2018
Peterson Paper Company Building Added to the National Register of Historic Places

Jan 24, 2018
Ames Artist Has Time, People Magazines in Stitches

Jan 24, 2018
Gov. Kim Reynolds Honors Female Artists in New Display at State Capitol

Jan 8, 2018
The Film Lounge Season 2 Premieres Feb. 11 on IPTV

2017

Dec 19, 2017
$1.3 Million Awarded to Five Iowa Great Places Projects

Dec 13, 2017
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Awards $90,000 for Historic Preservation

Nov 17, 2017
Matthew Edel Blacksmith Shop Matching-Gift Campaign

Nov 15, 2017
Celebrate Iowa Gala to Honor History-Making Iowa NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson

Nov 2, 2017
State Historical Society Seeks Photos of Iowa's Fallen World War I Heroes for Display

Oct 16, 2017
Historic Valley Junction Listed on National Register of Historic Places

Oct 10, 2017
Ghouls and Goblins Take Over 'The Film Lounge' on IPTV Oct. 29

Aug 22, 2017
"The Film Lounge" Returns With 10 More Films

Aug 17, 2017
Council Bluffs and Milford Artists Take First Place in Agriculture Art Exhibition Contest

Aug 7, 2017
New Online Resource Brings Iowa History to Teachers/Students

Jul 24, 2017
Ames, Burlington and Council Bluffs Districts Named Iowa's Newest Great Places

Jul 19, 2017
State Historical Society of Iowa Awards $500,000 for 27 Projects in 25 Communities

Jul 14, 2017
Modern-Day Explorer Retraces Expedition on the Mighty Missouri River

Jul 14, 2017
Statue Conservation and Organ Recital July 29-30 at Montauk, Union Sunday School

Jul 13, 2017
Iowa Arts Council Awards $1.3 Million in Grants

Jul 12, 2017
Gov. Kim Reynolds Honors Three Female Artists in New Display at State Capitol

Jul 12, 2017
Writer, Musician, Filmmaker and Two Visual Artists Named 2017 Iowa Arts Council Fellows

Jun 30, 2017
Preservation Awards Announced for 6 Iowa Communities

Jun 20, 2017
Council Bluffs Student Medals at National History Day Contest

Jun 14, 2017
Federal arts funding renewed for upcoming fiscal year

May 12, 2017
Become a blacksmith May 20 at Matthew Edel shop in Haverhill

May 11, 2017
66 students take top honors at National History Day in Iowa contest

Apr 27, 2017
Find out why old places matter during Preserve Iowa Summit

Apr 20, 2017
Spirit Lake, Urbandale and Waterloo students win arts scholarship

Apr 17, 2017
Gov. Branstad presents Shambaugh history award

Mar 24, 2017
Museum exhibits/programs mark 100th anniversary of U.S. entry into World War I

Mar 9, 2017
Author Dan Barry to discuss Atalissa's Boys in the Bunkhouse March 30

Mar 5, 2017
Sioux City student wins state poetry championship

Feb 23, 2017
Iowa artists can submit art for Agriculture Art Exhibition

Feb 22, 2017
Drop in to the State Historical Museum during spring break

Feb 17, 2017
Meet Iowa’s newest Artist Fellows in Coralville Feb. 28

Feb 15, 2017
12 million pages of newspapers to be preserved

Jan 26, 2017
Art at the Cafe photo exhibit explores aging and family transitions

Jan 20, 2017
Art and law converge in new exhibit at State Capitol

Jan 13, 2017
Iowa's Kimball Village Site named National Historic Landmark

Jan 12, 2017
Manson student and teacher to study, eulogize D-Day soldier in Normandy

Jan 9, 2017
“The Film Lounge” premieres Feb. 12 on IPTV

Jan 6, 2017
New Iowa Arts Council’s “ArtUps” kick off this month