Cedar Rapids Museum of Art facts for kids
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| Established | 1905 |
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| Location | 410 Third Avenue SE Cedar Rapids, Iowa |
| Type | Art museum |
The Cedar Rapids Museum of Art is a cool museum located in downtown Cedar Rapids, Iowa, USA. It's a private museum that first opened its doors way back in 1905. The museum moved into the old Cedar Rapids Public Library building in 1985. A new part of the museum, designed by a famous architect named Charles Moore, was built next to the old library in 1989. The museum's main goal is to excite, involve, and teach people from the community and visitors. It does this through its amazing art collection, special shows, and fun programs.
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Amazing Art Collections
This museum has really important collections of art from several famous artists who lived in Iowa. The museum is huge, about 63,000 square feet! It shows new art in temporary exhibits. It also has the world's biggest collection of art by Grant Wood, Marvin Cone, and Bertha Jaques. You can also see works by Mauricio Lasansky and a special collection of ancient Roman portrait busts.
Grant Wood's Art and Studio
The museum has many paintings by Grant Wood. These include his famous works like Woman with Plants and Young Corn. In 2002, the museum received the building where Grant Wood had his original art studio. This studio is just three blocks from the museum. It's known by its made-up address, 5 Turner Alley. Grant Wood designed and built this loft studio himself. He lived and worked there from 1924 to 1935. This is where he painted his most famous work, American Gothic (1930). That painting is now part of the collection at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Grant Wood Studio is open to the public for guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays.
Marvin Cone's Works
Marvin Cone was a close friend and fellow artist of Grant Wood. The museum's collection of Marvin Cone's art includes many of his best-known landscapes and abstract paintings.
Other Important Artists
The museum also features important artworks by other artists. These include pieces by Mauricio Lasansky, Malvina Hoffman, Ann Royer, and Carl Van Vechten. There are many more talented artists whose works you can explore here.
The 2008 Flood and the Museum
In 2008, downtown Cedar Rapids faced a very serious flood. It was the worst flood the city had ever seen. The museum's lower storage areas and basements were badly damaged by the floodwaters. The water even threatened the main exhibition areas. Luckily, the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art had just installed a new art storage system in its basement about six months before the flood. All of the museum's art collection was moved to higher levels. Because of these quick actions, none of the valuable artwork was damaged by the flood.
