Pasture to Present

Pasture to Present is a major blockbuster exhibition celebrating 100 years of Grant Wood's famous Corn Room mural. Wood painted these panels in 1926 for the Martin Hotel in Sioux City, Iowa. The artwork shows a bold and symbolic view of the American Midwest, especially its strong farming traditions.

Wood, who was born in Anamosa, Iowa in 1891 and became famous for American Gothic (1930), created a style called Regionalism. He and other artists used this style during the Great Depression to show the Midwest as a steady and dependable place during a time when many people were moving to big cities.

Now, in 2026, the Art Center is excited to celebrate this important artwork to highlight Wood's special talent for showing both the real and symbolic meaning of the Midwest. The panels were carefully restored over the past year. Visitors will see how Wood painted the farming landscape and how he elevated American art with everyday Midwestern life. With important artworks borrowed from museums across the region, the exhibition looks at the beginnings of Regionalism, focusing on farming and the symbols of the Midwest.

Today, artists from across the Midwest are creating bold new artwork about rural life. They are reimagining landscapes in ways that reflect the challenges and changes happening now. Their work shows both the lasting strength of agriculture and rural communities and the big shifts that have taken place since Grant Wood's time.

Two galleries in the exhibition highlight this fresh energy. A new mural by Iowa City artist Thomas Agran anchors these spaces, which also includes a large installation in the atrium, bright paintings, powerful photographs, and a video.

Pasture to Present is made possible through the support of the Art Center's Blockbuster Partners, whose generosity helps bring major projects like this to Sioux City. Additional support comes from the Margaret Ann Martin Everist Foundation, the Heffernan Fund, and the Art Center Association of Sioux City.

Everyone is invited to a FREE opening reception on Saturday, June 13, from 5-7 p.m.

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The Sioux City Art Center is a model public/private partnership between the City of Sioux City and the Art Center Association of Sioux City.

Visiting the Sioux City Art Center

The Sioux City Art Center is open Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. The Sioux City Art Center is located at 225 Nebraska Street, Sioux City, IA. Additional information is available by contacting the Sioux City Art Center at 712-279-6272, est. 200 or www.siouxcityartcenter.org.