Exhibits
The Community Gallery is FREE and open to the public. You are warmly invited to visit.
You will find the Community Gallery on the street level (first floor) adjacent to the Octagon Shop. The Gallery observes the same hours as the Shop.
You are welcome to join in gallery events, such as artist talks. Sign up for the newsletter or follow us on Facebook for announcements. Please note that the gallery is closed during exhibit changes.
Scroll down to see our upcoming events!
The Feinberg & Drexler Mask Collection
Masks are FOR SALE!
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November 2017
Relief From Endlessness ANDA TANAKA & JEREMY RUDD
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 of Fine Arts at the CVPA of The University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. He was a Professor of fine arts for four years at Lasell…
Find out more »Running With Scissors STEVE HOSCH
Running With Scissors STEVE HOSCH NOVEMBER 16 - DECEMBER 21, 2017, COMMUNITY GALLERY Making art, to me, is not necessarily a response to the world. Rather, it’s often just a reaction to what’s rattling around in my head. It’s an attempt to make sense of my own inner clutter; regrets, hopes, doubts, dreams, fears. It’s problem solving. It’s catharsis. It’s play. It’s taking risks and letting go. Ultimately, it’s akin to closing my eyes and running with scissors even as…
Find out more »January 2018
Amalgamation CHRIS MARTIN
Amalgamation CHRIS MARTIN January 5 - February 17, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY As developing countries and emerging economies modernize, the traditional crafts that reflect the unique cultural and social traits upon which these countries have been built, are often disregarded opting for western goods instead. This is something that Chris Martin wants to do something about. Martin’s own creative expression has been deeply influenced by the traditional crafts of Ghana, where he spent two years as a U.S. Peace Corps…
Find out more »50th Annual Clay, Fiber, Paper, Glass, Metal, Wood
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 community's desire to provide exciting art experiences for the public and professional opportunities for artists. This show the organization's attempt to fully embody the founding vision. As a result,…
Find out more »February 2018
A Negro From the South CAMERON GRAY
A Negro From the South CAMERON GRAY February 19 - March 6, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY The United States of America is the country where I was born and where I have lived for most of my life. In this country, I am a second-class citizen. As a child, I was raised to maneuver through systems that were not created for a person like myself. Many people may not be able to empathize with that statement. It might be incomprehensible, and…
Find out more »March 2018
Metamorphosis DAN JOHNSON
Metamorphosis DAN JOHNSON March 12 - 31, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY Closing reception: Friday, March 30 5-7 PM Metamorphosis relates to my broader theme of the possibilities of change and transformation as expressed through the human figure, focusing on explorations of transformative or fugitive ideas about the human figure. Using line, I want to discover the energy possible through gesture and improvisation. My work of the past few years has also focused on using layering and reductive processes to discover new textures…
Find out more »April 2018
Nice Life DAVID PARKER
Nice Life DAVID PARKER April 6 - May 19, 2018 COMMUNITY GALLERY Using a limited palette of pine, maple, vinyl, griptape, and spray enamel I’m looking at the material language of subculture. The work is an abstract look at the outsiders: skaters, rockers, hippies, artists, stoners, goths, shoegazers… and how they project their identity to outsiders and signal their place within their own community. The work has been limited to four standard sizes referencing how they adorn their bodies and our…
Find out more »Elem/Mid/High 2018
Elem/Mid/High 2018 An Annual Exhibition of Local Elementary, Middle, and High School Senior Students April 19 - May 5, 2018 MAIN GALLERY & SWEENEY GALLERY The Octagon Center for the Arts showcases artwork by local elementary, middle, and high school students annually. High School art instructors from schools within 20 miles of the Octagon Center for the Arts are welcome to register students in their fall and spring classes for participation.
Find out more »May 2018
Field Notes DANIELLE CLOUSE GAST
Field Notes DANIELLE CLOUSE GAST May 11 - July 28, 2018 MAIN GALLERY Growing up and living in Northwest Iowa, routes to and from different towns have been memorized and have only seemed to slightly change over the years. The landscape has become the welcome constant in my daily life when driving place to place. But on many occasions, when the intention is to truly “see” the landscape (still often from the car window), beautiful, abstract things can be found…
Find out more »Based on a True Story ALEX BRAIDWOOD
Based on a True Story ALEX BRAIDWOOD May 18 - August 11, 2018 SWEENEY GALLERY Sound is an important aspect of the world around us. It tells a great deal about our surroundings when we take the time to listen. Listening requires time to experience because sound requires time to exist. In today’s fast-paced culture, deeper levels of engagement have become increasingly rare. Add to this the common positioning of sound as a background element or object of distraction and…
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