Art Gallery

Brenda Backman Artist Bio Brenda Backman is a contemporary artist known for her evocative use of color and texture, creating immersive landscapes that explore the interplay between nature and emotion. Based in Story City, IA, she draws inspiration from her surroundings, transforming everyday scenes into vibrant, abstract interpretations. Brenda's artistic journey began at an [...]

Rob Sunderman Art Philosophy and Statement My artwork has a strong connection to our natural environment and climate issues. I want the work to convey a sense of beauty but also confront the challenges we are facing with our environment. I want people to look at things in our world that are sometimes [...]

Melissa Borrelli January & February 2026 Artist on Display ARTIST STATEMENT: "I create woven tapestries using secondhand yarn and yarn I spin from mostly scrap materials. I began weaving in 2020 during a period when we all had more time to slow down and focus inward. What started as a practical way to fill [...]

Alicia Wilkinson, IIDA November & December 2025 Artist on Display Alicia is a mother, painter, mixed media artist, senior registered interior designer with her own practice, and educator in the Interior Design Department at Iowa State University. Alicia creates paintings with thick texture, fiber and other mediums while exploring beauty, texture, color and things [...]

Thank you for your interest in my art. It has been influenced by my love of nature, my childhood on the Navajo Reservation (my father was a curator for Native American art) and my experience as a yoga teacher. Before moving to Ames, I lived in Arizona by a wash. I took walks there [...]

Lisa Kuehl of Ames is the creator of Heartland Scrapbooks. Born in Davenport, Iowa, Lisa has lived in central Iowa most of her life and is a lifelong artist. In 1982, she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Graphic Design from Iowa State University and has spent the past [...]

Artist Statement My photography focuses on my fascination with the longevity of things around us. I like to capture the process of decay and change that tells us a story about the past: Mountains shaped throughout time and wildfires rapidly redesigning the landscape. Reminders of American industry abandoned in the [...]

Brenda Backman is a contemporary artist known for her evocative use of color and texture, creating immersive landscapes that explore the interplay between nature and emotion. Based in Story City, IA, she draws inspiration from her surroundings, transforming everyday scenes into vibrant, abstract interpretations. Brenda’s artistic journey began at an early age, fueled by [...]

Foreign and Cultivated | Kelsey Wilson MARCH - APRIL 2024 | Artist on Display Humans and plants have a storied and complex relationship. We depend on each other to survive. The botanical paintings in this room represent plants that are decorative, edible, or invasive. Getting to these plants better through observation and by pondering [...]