AMES, IOWA – January 31, 2024 – Small Pleasures: Tiny Art from the Permanent Collection is now on exhibition at the Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums affiliate at Iowa State University (ISU), located on the second floor of the Scheman Building, 1805 Center Drive, Ames, IA, with free admission for the public. 

Small Pleasures asks the visitor to marvel in the miniscule – from a small Roman bronze of Hercules, to miniature Chinese ceramics, to the wonder of micro mosaic jewelry. Micro mosaic jewelry is exactly what it sounds like: jewelry decorated with tiny glass tiles that form mosaic portraits. As a free virtual program in conjunction with this exhibition, University Museums has invited Dr. Susan J. Rawles, the Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, to present A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke on Tuesday, February 20, 2024 from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m. (CST) via Zoom. Dr. Rawles will provide a lens on the continuity of the ancient craft of mosaic into the modern era.

Artist and educator Tilly Woodward will be at the Brunnier Art Museum on Sunday, April 7, 2024 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. to present The Power of Small Things. Woodward is known for creating small intimate paintings and will share her methods for creating art on a diminutive scale. Five Quail Eggs is by Woodward is included in the exhibition.

Small Pleasures: Tiny Art from the Permanent Collection is now open to the public and will run through Friday, July 26, 2024. Admission to the Brunnier Art Museum is free, and open hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday, 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. The museum is closed on Mondays and university holidays, but Iowa State curriculum tours may be scheduled Mondays with two weeks’ notice.

This exhibition is curated and organized by University Museums. Support was given by University Museums Membership.

Find full descriptions of programs on the University Museums Calendar. All programs are free and open to the public. Registration is not required. Click the event title for more information and/or to register. Events listed below will be at the Brunnier Art Museum (1805 Center Dr., 295 Scheman Building, Ames, Iowa) unless otherwise noted. Programs are subject to change. Check the University Museums Calendar and Facebook page for the latest events information. All times are Central Standard Time (CST).

Curator's Tour of Small Pleasures

with Adrienne Gennett

Sunday, February 11, 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Join Brunnier Art Museum curator Adrienne Gennett to marvel in some of the smallest works of art found in the permanent collection.

A Return to the Grand Tour: Micromosaic Jewels from the Collection of Elizabeth Locke

Tuesday, February 20, 5:00–6:00 p.m.

Virtual on Zoom (link)

In conjunction with the exhibition Small Pleasures at the Brunnier Art Museum, spend an evening learning about the intricate world of micromosaic jewelry with Dr. Susan J. Rawles, the Elizabeth Locke Associate Curator of American Decorative Arts at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Locke’s collection of micromosaics, held at the VMFA, provides a lens on the continuity of the ancient craft of mosaic into the modern era and the historical legacy of Locke’s collection within the context of the Grand Tour.

The Power of Small Things

with Artist Tilly Woodward

Sunday, April 7, 2:00–3:00 p.m.

Learn from artist and educator Tilly Woodward about why she chooses to create small, intimate paintings and her methods for creating art on a diminutive scale.

The Brunnier Art Museum is the only accredited museum emphasizing a decorative arts collection in the state of Iowa and one of the nation's few museums located within a performing arts and conference complex (Iowa State Center). Founded in 1975, the museum is named after its benefactors, Henry J. Brunnier and his wife Ann. Ceramics, glass, dolls, ivory, jade, and enameled metals are all included in the Brunnier Art Collection.

Museum Hours

Tuesday – Friday, 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Saturday & Sunday, 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Closed to the public Monday. ISU curriculum tours may be scheduled on Monday with a 2-week notice.

Closed University Holidays.

Admission is free. Donations are welcome.

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. 

Header: Cream Jug, c.1790

Wedgwood (English, founded 1759)

Jasperware

Gift of M. Burton Drexler. In the M. Burton Drexler Collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2013.596

Photo: Brielle Tuttle, Model: Rachael Kauffman

Chipmunk and Dinner, 2000s

Dean Schwarz (American, b.1938)

Lane Schwarz (American)

Ceramic

Gift of Geraldine and Dean Schwarz. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2018.174

Photo: Brielle Tuttle, Model: Rachael Kauffman

Earrings, c. 1870

Germany

Silver with gold plate

Gift of Edith Lagerstrom Estate. In the Permanent Collection, Brunnier Art Museums, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2000.107ab

Five Quail Eggs, 2011

Tilly Woodward (American, b.1957)

Oil on archival mat board

Gift of Gary and Marlene Olson. In the permanent collection, Brunnier Art Museum, University Museums, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. UM2015.16