AMES, IA.- The history of crafts have been deeply intertwined with women throughout history, and the current exhibition at the Farm House Museum on the Iowa State University campus commemorates the role and history of female artistic production.

Women’s Domestic Artistries invites visitors to view historical craft traditions of the Civil War and Victorian Era. The art and crafts featured in this exhibition serve as touchpoints in a long history of artistic tradition, tracing the histories of gender norms, creativity, expression, and identity of women as leaders in the creation of objects for home decoration, commemoration, art, and meaning in their lives.

“Within this exhibition visitors can explore crafts and artwork created in the home by women during the Victorian Era, leaning on skills honed from a young age," says Allison Sheridan, curator of the Farm House Museum. "From doilies to hair art, cyanotypes to taxidermy, this exhibition highlights the imagination and aesthetics of women’s pastime work during the decades of 1860 through 1910."

The exhibition will run through October 2025 and is made possible with generous funding by Carol Pletcher.

"The opportunity to study more about the time and women’s roles in the home – rewarding but often challenging - will be highlighted through several programs during the semester," says Sheridan.

During 2024 through 2025, University Museums is celebrating its 50 year anniversary with special events, exhibitions, acquisitions, projects, historic preservation, conservation and more.

University Museums, accredited by the American Alliance of 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.