AMES, IOWA – September 22, 2022 – The exhibition Arts and Craftsman: Simplicity, Honesty, and Truth to Materials continues at the Farm House Museum, 601 Farm House Lane in Ames, through the end of October 2022. The exhibition opened in January, but new programs and a new acquisition has been added since then. 

An early 1900s Tiffany floor lamp was added to the permanent collection and has become a feature of the Arts and Craftsman exhibition. Visitors can view the lamp in the parlor at the Farm House Museum during open hours, Monday through Friday, noon until 4:00 p.m. The Farm House Museum will also have an open house weekend on Iowa State University family weekend, Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. Admission is free. 

Along with this exhibition, University Museums staff traveled to Centerville, Iowa to film a virtual tour of Drake Hall in its restoration process. Owners Gerhard Von Spillmann and Kyle Shiroma are living in Drake Hall as they restore this historic home, potentially opening it as a venue in the future. This tour is in two parts and shows details of the house, both finished rooms and rooms in-process. 

“Like University Museums, Kyle and Gerhard have a passion for preservation,” said Allison Sheridan, Farm House Museum Curator. “Some of the projects that they have worked on while keeping things up to code, accessible and within the historic time period, we also do that at the Farm House Museum.” 

Anyone with internet access can view Part One the Drake Hall Preservation Tour on the University Museums YouTube channel on Sunday, September 25 at 4:00 p.m. central time. Part Two will premiere Sunday, October 9 at 4:00 p.m. 

Visitors can experience the Arts and Crafts Movement through a selection of furniture and decorative arts at the Farm House Museum appropriate to the Dean Charles Curtiss years of residence (1897-1947). The exhibition includes examples of lighting, pottery, furniture, glass, metalwork and books that highlight the craftsmanship and dedication to simplicity and materials that the movement is most celebrated for. Exhibition and programs support provided by Carol Pletcher. 

This exhibition is curated by Kylea Mosley and Madisyn Rostro, Farm House Museum interns, and is generously funded by Carole Pletcher. Loans courtesy of Laurie Olk, Lynette Pohlman, Allison Sheridan and Chris Conklin.

Educational programs and events are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. By registering, attendees receive email updates and reminders about the events. Programs are subject to change. For the latest information and to register, visit museums.iastate.edu and check the calendar. University Museums events are also updated on Facebook and the Iowa State University events calendar.

Drake Hall Preservation Tour Part I 

Sunday, September 25, 4:00 p.m. 

Virtual on YouTube 

Virtually tour Centerville, Iowa’s Drake Hall with owners Gerhard Von Spillmann and Kyle Shiroma along with University Museums’ staff. Des Moines based architects Wetherell & Gage designed the home in 1908 for the Bradley family with influences from the Arts and Crafts Movement and Japanese design aesthetics popularized after the St. Louis World’s Fair. Join us for the two-part tour of the current owner’s restoration and preservation of this grand Gilded Age home in Iowa and draw parallels to the permanent collection at University Museums. 

Art Walk: The Arts and Crafts Movement on Campus 

Wednesday, September 28, noon-1:00 p.m. 

Begins at University Library front lobby 



Join Museum Security & Education Program Assistant Nicholas Scott on an art walk focusing on the Arts and Crafts Movement found in the Art on Campus Collection. These examples on campus are often found in architectural elements, adding beauty to functional elements of buildings on campus. The tour will conclude at the Farm House Museum, where more examples of the Arts and Crafts Movement can be found in the exhibition Arts and Craftsman: Simplicity, Honesty, and Truth to Materials. 

Drake Hall Preservation Tour Part II 

Sunday, October 9, 4:00 p.m. 

Virtual on YouTube

Virtually tour Centerville, Iowa’s Drake Hall with owners Gerhard Von Spillmann and Kyle Shiroma along with University Museums’ staff. Des Moines based architects Wetherell & Gage designed the home in 1908 for the Bradley family with influences from the Arts and Crafts Movement and Japanese design aesthetics popularized after the St. Louis World’s Fair. Join us for the two-part tour of the current owner’s restoration and preservation of this grand Gilded Age home in Iowa and draw parallels to the permanent collection at University Museums.

Open House Weekend 

Saturday & Sunday, October 15 & 16, 1:00-4:00 p.m. 

Having trouble getting to the museum during the week? Enjoy the University Museums’ central campus locations and fall exhibitions during an open house weekend, Saturday & Sunday, October 15 & 16 from 1:00-4:00pm. At the Christian Petersen Art Museum see Double Take: Insights on Figural Expression and All the Evils: Christian Petersen and the Art of War. At the Farm House Museum, the exhibition Arts & Craftsman: Simplicity, Honesty, and Truth to Materials, will be open. Light refreshments will be served at the Farm House Museum. 

Movie Night Elbert Hubbard: An American Original (2009) 

First Showing: Thursday, October 20, 5:00-6:00 p.m. 

Second Showing: Thursday, October 20, 6:30-7:30 p.m. 

Registration required 

Narrated by Liev Schreiber, this short movie produced by PBS examines the story of Elbert Hubbard a rebel and philosopher who founded a utopian Arts and Crafts colony Roycroft in 1895, became a pop culture icon, and influenced American thought in the early twentieth century. (57 min) 

Note: there are two showings, 5:00pm and 6:30pm (limited seating to 18 per showing) Click a button below to register.

Nestled in the center of Iowa State University, the Farm House Museum sits as a monument to early Iowa State history and culture. The first building on campus as well as a National Historic Landmark, the Farm House was built in 1860 and functioned as living quarters for various Iowa State deans, professors, farmhands and students. Undergoing a lengthy restoration from 1970-76, the Farm House evolved into a public museum. Now students, faculty and community members can enjoy the museum while remembering the significance that one small building had upon shaping a nationally recognized land-grant university. 

Museum Hours

Monday-Friday, noon-4:00 p.m.

Closed Saturday, Sunday, and University Holidays

Admission is free. Donations are welcome (suggested $8)

museums.iastate.edu

University Museums is a distinctive organization that encompasses two art museums, a National Historic Landmark historic home museum, a sculpture garden, and one of the largest campus public art collections in the nation. University Museums brings world-class exhibitions with educational programming to Iowa State University actively acquires works of art to add to the more than 30,000 permanent collection objects, conserves and preserves collections, conducts and publishes curatorial scholarship, and fosters student engagement.

museums.iastate.edu

To schedule interviews, photograph events, or request high-resolution images, please contact Alisha Abner at 515.294.3342 or aabner@iastate.edu.