Deeply Rooted STUDIO ART QUILT ASSOCIATION ON DISPLAY AUGUST 11 - OCTOBER 28, 2017, MAIN GALLERY Deeply Rooted, a juried exhibition organized by the Studio Art Quilt Associates (SAQA), explores the meaning of “roots” through the quilt medium. Thirty works are featured, all created by SAQA members from Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. SAQA, founded in […]
Saw You On The Sidewalks of Russia (видел тебя на тротуарах России!) On Display August 18 - September 30, 2017, Community Gallery Opening Reception: Saturday, August 26 from 3-5 P.M. Doesn’t matter if it’s the guy who walks in the door while we wait at the dentist’s office, or the couple who walk by our […]
Pieced Fabric: Historic Quilts of Ames ON DISPLAY AUGUST 19 - OCTOBER 28, 2017, SWEENEY GALLERY Quilting has always been a social outlet for women in Iowa. Old quilts are personally created signed gifts from quilters of the past, many of whom braved hardships as they sought a new life in a new land. They were […]
Kawishiwi River AARON SQUADRONI ON DISPLAY OCTOBER 6 - NOVEMBER 11, 2017, COMMUNITY GALLERY Artist Statement: "The Midwest is presently a battleground for resources. Fracking, oil pipelines, mining, and drilling are just some of the expanding industries in this region. In states like Minnesota and Wisconsin where the rugged beauty of the land is part of the […]
Relief From Endlessness ANDA TANAKA & JEREMY RUDD NOVEMBER 3 - DECEMBER 21, 2017, SWEENEY GALLERY Jeremy Rudd Artsist Bio A native Iowan, Rudd grew up in rural Benton County thirty minutes outside Cedar Rapids. He attended Iowa State University receiving a BFA in visual Studies with an emphasis on Three Dimensional Design, and completed his Master […]
50th Annual Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood January 26 - April 7, 2018 MAIN GALLERY & SWEENEY GALLERY 2018 marks the 50th annual All-Media juried exhibit at the Octagon Center for the Arts. The first Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Woodopened in 1968, two years after the organization's founding in 1966. The Octagon was founded out of the […]
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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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)