Empty Dresses PAULA STREETER May 25 - June 30, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY Empty Dresses as a concept was conceived half a lifetime ago while attending the estate auction of an early Swedish immigrant to the Midwest. Among the many hand crafted items from the latter half of the nineteenth century were two intricately and nearly […]
Grilling Ice LEE RAINBOTH July 6 - August 11, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY This exhibit examines the ways that matters of mortality and masculinity manifest themselves in a contemporary Haitian context. […]
Join us this summer at the Ames Main Street Farmers' Market! Second Saturdays (June -- Saturday)* June 9 July 14 August 11 September 8 Visit us in Tom Evans Park […]
Join us for a FREE reception with artist Joanne Alberta in the Community Gallery! Artist Talk by Joanne Alberta at 6:30pm Tales from a Ghost Town by JOANNE ALBERDA is on […]
ARTISANS ROADTRIP August 17 - October 27, 2018 SWEENEY GALLERY This year is the 15th Annual Artisans Road Trip. Artisans Road Trip invites you to travel Iowa's scenic byways and back […]
Tales from a Ghost Town JOANNE ALBERDA August 17 - September 29, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY Virginia City is a ghost town—the skeleton of a booming Montana gold mining camp in […]
Friday Morning Art Projects, ages 6 - 11 Friday, August 17 9:15 – 10:30 am $15 Students will learn and create using a variety of printmaking methods and materials. Class […]
Natural Dyes: Serendipity Dyeing with Flowers, Berries, Leaves, and More Sunday, August 19 1 – 3 pm $55 Learn to dye silk scarves and cotton fabric with a huge variety […]
Monday & Tuesday, 9:30 – 11:30 am August 20 & 21 $50 This mini – camp is intended for students entering kindergarten in the fall. Artist-inspired mixed media projects will […]
Exploring Art Ages: 18 months – younger 3’s Tuesdays, 9:15 - 10am $55 for each 4 week session -- See the class listing for the other 4 week sessions. September 4 – […]
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)
