LOCATED IN COMMUNITY GALLERY Image & Text features visual and written artworks crafted from partnerships between visual artists and creative writers. Whether the individual artworks or the overarching concepts behind […]
LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY The Art of Climate Planning is produced by The EcoTheatre Lab and funded by a City of Ames Small Art Grant. The project is inspired […]
LOCATED IN THE COMMUNITY GALLERY Artist Statement: In Latin, the word Manibus means “from the hand.” I created the Manibus robotic painting device to utilize as an extension of the […]
Bridget Marcus has been bird watching for most of her life and her wonder and love for birds is only increasing as the vulnerability of our avian neighbors becomes ever […]
Community Gallery -- View from the Sidewalk Show Statement Do we have time to slow down? And I don't mean that Only in the sense of physically, but […]
Located in the Community Gallery Octagonal: The All-Media Show is the annual, juried all-media exhibition at the Octagon Center for the Arts in Ames, Iowa. Originally titled the Clay and Paper Show, […]
Located in the Reading Room (Small Wall Gallery). Show Statement Cherish (2022) is a collection of interactive soft sculptures that seek to ask “How do we view end-of-life planning?” Death is […]
Located in the Community Gallery Seventeen Integrated Studio Arts seniors from ISU's department of art & visual culture will be exhibiting artwork in Apricity, their BFA exhibition, with media ranging […]
Located in the Community Gallery/Virtual The Octagon Center for the Arts highlights artwork by local elementary, middle, and high school students annually. 2022 Kindergarten - 8th Grade Student Show See […]
Located in the Community Gallery Exhibit Reception: Join us at our exhibit reception on June 9, 6-8pm at the Octagon! Come meet some of the artists, see the show, listen […]
About Us
The Octagon Center for the Arts is a non-profit community art center in the heart of downtown Ames, Iowa. A cornerstone of the cultural scene in Ames since 1966, the Octagon serves more than 30,000 people each year through art classes and outreach, rotating exhibits, a retail gallery shop, and the annual Octagon Art Festival.
The Octagon Center for the Arts is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization funded in part through memberships, donations, and grants, including the City of Ames Commission on the Arts (COTA) and the Iowa Arts Council.
© 2025 Octagon Center for the Arts. All rights reserved.
Octagon Center for the Arts
413 & 427 Douglas Avenue
Ames, IA 50010
Phone: 515-232-5331
Email: info@octagonarts.org
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We encourage online shopping! Contact us with questions.
Octagon Shop and Community Gallery
Monday-Wednesday 10:00am-5:30pm
Thursday 10:00am-7:00pm
Friday 10:00am-5:30pm
Saturday 10:00am-5:00pm
Sunday CLOSED (except during the holidays)