Collage of art including a brightly colored modern painting upper left, ceramic bust sculpture lower left, a pastel room interior upper middle, enbroidered patch lower middle and painting of Mary on a blue background on the right.

On display February 16 - March 12, 2025 

The Memorial Union Art Gallery is hosting an exhibit by Iowa State student artists titled Art-Music-Poetry. The show is on display from February 16 through March 12, 2025, and Gallery hours are Monday through Friday from 11am-4pm and Sunday from 1-4pm. 

Students were asked to submit a song that would be a good choice to listen to while viewing their art or reading their poetry, so each piece in the exhibit has a QR code linking to music to enhance the viewer’s experience. 

Art and apparel design included in the exhibit was selected by Matthew Olds, painter, sculptor, and mixed media artist from Seattle, WA. Leah Huizar, a writer and poet originally from California who is now teaching at Drake University, chose poetry. Between Olds and Huizar, they reviewed 142 submissions from 65 students and ultimately chose the 47 pieces by 31 artists on display. Olds and Huizar also chose the award winners, which will be announced at the reception on Tuesday, February 25, from 6-7:30pm, with comments beginning at 6:15pm.

Artists (with majors noted) include:
Brenna Akason, Industrial Design
Bethany Allison, Biological/Pre-Medial Illustration
Tasha Ayres, Scientific Illustration and Visualization
Blake Bailey, Integrated Studio Arts
Emmanuel Bamidele, Graphic Design and Human Computer Interaction MFA
Olivia Blanchard, Graphic Design
Katie Bradley, Apparel, Merchandising, and Design
Maggie Breyfogle, Graphic Design
Camila Cebollero, Integrated Studio Arts
Natalie Deam, Integrated Studio Arts MFA
Isabelle Ford, Integrated Studio Arts
Sunya Hardi, Integrated Studio Arts
Mason Keinroth, Integrated Studio Arts
Paria Keshavarziyan, Integrated Studio Arts
Alicia Kester, Integrated Studio Arts
Hannah Litterer, Graphic Design
Alexander Lunaberg, Graphic Design
Monique Nespor, Architecture
Matty Palamara, Integrated Studio Arts MFA
Kathleen Pelzer, Financial Counseling and Planning and Event Management
Tullaia Powell, Graphic Design with English Minor
Jullianna Rios, Integrated Studio Arts
Nicole Soriano, Integrated Studio Arts MFA
Noel Thomas, Art and Design
Rana Tiba, Art and Visual Culture MFA
Amara Tilley, Integrated Studio Arts
Ngoc Ton, Graphic Design
Lucas Tyler, English and Criminal Justice
Micah Vera, Graphic Design
Quinn Young, English
Tiara Young, Graphic Design

Matthew Olds is an award-winning practicing artist based out of Seattle, Washington, and runs HOLDstudios, a diverse fine arts company, since founding it with his wife, Heather Joy, in 2005. He graduated from the University of Washington in Painting & Drawing and was invited to be a Visiting Professor of Art in Sculpture at Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma, Washington. His personal work and collaborative commissioned projects can be found in individual, institutional, and corporate collections nationwide and beyond.

Leah Huizar is a Mexican-American writer and poet. Originally from Southern California, her creative writing and research centers on the cultural and historic landscape of the West Coast and the ways in which gender, religion, and colonization have shaped it. Her collection of poems, Inland Empire, was published by Noemi Press. She holds an MFA from Penn State University and is an Associate professor of English at Drake University. She teaches courses in creative writing, writing studies, Latino literature, and Women and Gender Studies.

The Memorial Union is located at 2229 Lincoln Way in Ames on the ISU campus, and paid parking is available in the ramp adjacent to the building. The Art Gallery is on the first floor.