Current Sioux City Public Museum Exhibitions: 

 

 April 10 - August 15, 2021
New to You: Recent Artifact Donations
Exhibit showcasing diverse selection of artifacts from the Museum’s collection. Most of the showcased artifacts have not been previously displayed. In addition to a variety of Central High School artifacts, the exhibit features an 1893 silk banner from Sioux City’s Norwegian singing society, a bear rug made by Meyer Brothers Saddlery Company around 1920, a Lakota-style peace pipe made by famed Ojibwe artist George Bryan “Standing Eagle,” and a paper mache Easter Bunny from Davidson’s Department Store. The exhibit also showcases artifacts relating to decorated World War II veteran Carleton Mikkelsen who owned a pharmacy in Morningside for many years.

 
May 29 - August 1, 2021
Crittenton Center: Serving children, teens, and families for 125 years
The history of one of the Siouxland region’s longest-serving nonprofit organizations is highlighted through memorabilia and photographs.

 

On-going special exhibits:

Native American Artwork featuring Chuck Raymond
A retrospective of the prominent Winnebago artist's works is showcased along with a selection of Native American artifacts from the Museum’s collection.

 

  

Nature's Kaleidoscope: Digging into the Past
A world class collection of agates, geodes, minerals, fossils, petrified wood and meteorites.

 

Now available:

 

 

Special Tolerance Week presentation
Virtual Tour: Vernon Tott Photographs
Powerful images taken by a Sioux City soldier during the liberation of a WWII concentration camp are presented by the Sioux City Public Museum in honor of Sioux City Tolerance Week. Click here to view.

 

 

Past Exhibitions:  

March 13 - May 8, 2021
Sioux City History Projects
The 30th annual display of models and posters created by 4th grade students of local historic landmarks, people, and events.

January 9 - March 14, 2021
Lines with Power and Purpose: Editorial Cartoons
A display of 51 original editorial cartoons from the nation’s great metropolitan newspapers during the Golden Age of print journalism, including six Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonists. The traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

Cartoon by the artist known as “Army,” Be Careful Son!, 1940; 14 x 10 1/4 inches, ink on paper; Courtesy of University of Central Oklahoma Galleries and Collections.

November 28, 2020 – March 7, 2021
Vintage Sioux City Coffee Memorabilia
For a century, Sioux City was one of the primary food distribution centers of the Upper Midwest. Unique coffee merchandising artifacts from the 1870s to the 1970s are showcased, drawing from private collectors and the Museum’s collection.

February 2 - 14, 2021
Toward a Universal Suffrage: African American Women in Iowa and the Vote for All
Presented in recognition of Black History Month, the traveling exhibit documents the contributions of African American women such as Gertrude Rush, Sue M. Wilson Brown, Helen Downey and Vivian B. Smith to the suffrage movement in Iowa. The exhibit is a collaboration between the Iowa Department of Human Rights’ Office on the Status of Women, the Central Iowa Community Museum and the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University.

October 10, 2020 - January 10, 2021
1968: A Folsom Redemption
A collection of photographs and memories of two journalists lucky enough to be among a handful of eyewitnesses to the historic Johnny Cash concerts at Folsom Prison. This candid and personal photography exhibition features the work of Dan Poush (shown above) and Gene Beley. The traveling exhibit is organized by ExhibitsUSA, a program of Mid-America Arts Alliance.

 
September 5, 2020 - January 3, 2021
The Women’s Suffrage Campaign in Sioux City
In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the exhibit features historic photographs, period clothing, and artifacts relating to local suffragists, women’s clubs and political figures of the era. Included in the display are posters from the Smithsonian exhibition, Votes for Women: A Portrait of Persistence, which provide the national context for the voting rights story.

Online content: 
 
History at High Noon presentations 

 
Virtual Exhibit Tour

Through November 3, 2020
Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) Altar Display
A display of Dia de los Muertos altars created to honor family members who have passed away. This year's altars include ones to honor family members who died from Covid-19 as well as migrant children who died while in US federal custody. Dia de los Muertos is an important tradition celebrated within Mexico and by Mexican people throughout the world. The holiday focuses on celebrating friends and family who have passed away. A key element is the altar, often found within homes or public places, created to honor and welcome deceased loved ones. For more about the display, click here.

Learn more about the symbolism in the display with this video.

July 7 - October 4, 2020
Saturday in the Park: 29 Years of Memories
Planned before the music festival postponed its 2020 concert, the exhibit features a full-run of posters (many of which were autographed by the performers), Saturday in the Park T-Shirts, dozens of framed photographs of the performers and festival scenes, and video/audio clips. A slideshow showcases more than 200 Saturday in the Park images captured by Sioux City Journal photographers. Other highlights include two original paintings and eight alternate posters by Sioux City artist Mark Kochen.

As a special bonus, the exhibit showcases the original ceiling mural from Uncle John Records and Tapes painted by local artist Paul Chelstad in 1978, a 1960 Wurlitzer Model 2410-S jukebox and a c.1957 Hammond Model RT-3 concert organ.

The Saturday in the Park Fan Favorites as voted for online and by visitors to the Sioux City Public Museum  Headliner: Santana Non-Headliner: Michael Franti and Spearhead. Santana has the distinction of headlining twice at Saturday in the Park - in 1994 and 2010. Michael Franti and Spearhead also performed in 2010. The performers' photos are on display in the Museum lobby.

Click here for a complete list of Saturday in the Park lineups.

February 22 - August 30, 2020 (the exhibit's run was interrupted due to COVD-19)
City of Hope: Resurrection City and the 1968 Poor People's Campaign
In recognition of Black History Month in February and Tolerance Week in April, the Sioux City Public Museum presents this traveling exhibit honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daring vision for economic justice and opportunity for every U.S. citizen. The poster exhibition examines the Poor People’s Campaign—a grassroots, multiracial movement that drew thousands of people to Washington, D.C. For 43 days between May and June 1968, demonstrators demanded social reforms while living side-by-side on the National Mall in a tent city known as Resurrection City. City of Hope is organized by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service in collaboration with the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

February 28-  August 30, 2020 (the exhibit's run was interrupted due to COVD-19)
Selections from the Vernon Tott Collection
A local soldier’s powerful photographs of prisoners of a WWII concentration camp. This year marked the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Ahlem concentration camp on April 10, 1945.

 

March 14 – March 15, 2020 (The exhibit's run was shortened due to COVID-19)
Sioux City History Projects Exhibit
The 29th annual display of models and posters created by 4th grade students of local historic landmarks, people, and events. The participating students will be honored at a reception and awards ceremony on the closing day of the exhibit.

For videos featuring the 80 models and posters in the exhibit as well as the 2020 award recipients, click here.

 

November 23, 2019 – February 23, 2020
Remnants of the West: Photography by Edward S. Curtis & Mark James 
This unique traveling exhibition of 40 photographs spans more than a century, presenting contemporary landscape photographer Mark James alongside early 20th century photographer Edward S. Curtis. Organized by the Dubuque Museum of Art in association with Studio of the American West Photography.

September 21, 2019 – February 15, 2020
The Art of Frank Howell: The Early Years 
More than 30 works by the Sioux City-born artist are on display spanning the years of 1966 to 1994, with an emphasis on his career-defining art of the 1970s and 1980s. Since Howell was one of the few artists of his era recognized as both an important painter and a master lithographer, more than half the works are lithographs.

 

August 31-November 17, 2019
Morningside College: Celebrating 125 Years 1894-2019
Explore the origins of Sioux City’s oldest college through historic photographs and memorabilia. Affiliated with the United Methodist Church, the private four-year liberal arts institution has endured periods of budgetary distress, wartime dislocation, disastrous fires and other trials while educating and developing more than six generations of students.

 

October 26 - November 2, 2019
Día de los Muertos/Day of the Dead Altar Display
A display of Día de los Muertos altars created by students and families from Irving Elementary School. Día de los Muertos is an important tradition celebrated within Mexico and by Mexican people throughout the world. The holiday focuses on celebrating friends and family who have passed away. A key element is the altar, often found within homes or public places, created to honor and welcome deceased loved ones.

May 4 - September 8, 2019
Celebrating 100 Years of Municipal Bands
The 2019 summer concert series of the Sioux City Municipal Band marked the organization's 100th year. Uniforms, equipment, instruments, and awards along with photographs of the Monahan Post and Municipal Band and earlier bands are showcased in the exhibit.

 

May 25 - August 11, 2019
Bandits & Heroes, Poets & Saints: Popular Art of the Northeast of Brazil 
A traveling exhibit exploring how the ancient cultures of Africa blended with indigenous and colonial Portuguese traditions to form the vibrant and complex cultural mosaic of modern Brazil. This exhibition has been made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

March 16 - May 11, 2019
Sioux City History Projects 
The 28th annual display of models and posters created by 4th grade students of local historic landmarks, people, and events. The participating students will be honored at a reception and awards ceremony on the closing day of the exhibit.

December 8, 2018 - March 24, 2019
Christmas Toys through the Decades
A display of classic toys from the personal collection of local KSCJ radio personality Larry Fuller as well as selected items from the Sioux City Public Museum's collection.

November 10, 2018 - January 6, 2019
The Power of Children: Making a Difference 
Explore the extraordinary stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White—three children whose lives teach us about overcoming obstacles to make a positive difference in the world. This traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

September 1 - November 25, 2018
New to You: Recent Artifact Donations 
A diverse selection of artifacts from recent donations to never-displayed treasures from the Museum’s collection including military and local business memorabilia.

October 26 - November 3, 2018
Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead Altar Display
A display of Dia de los Muerto altars created by students and families from Irving Elementary School. Dia de los Muertos is an important tradition celebrated within Mexico and by Mexican people throughout the world. The holiday focuses on celebrating friends and family who have passed away. A key element is the altar, often found within homes or public places, created to honor and welcome deceased loved ones. 

June 16 - October 14, 2018
Traditional Arts of the Bedouin
Drawn from the Nance Collection—the largest collection of its kind outside the Middle East—the exhibit introduces visitors to a rich material culture from Saudi Arabia and nearby Middle Eastern countries such as Egypt, Syria, and Yemen. This traveling exhibit of approximately 50 artworks and artifacts including elaborately embroidered textiles and embellished metalwork is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

 

  
April 21 - August 19, 2018
Modernism’s Messengers: The Art of Alfonso and Margaret Iannelli
The story behind the couple who created the elaborate sculptures of people, spirits and animals that have adorned the courthouse since 1918.

 

 

April 21 - August 19, 2018
The Chicago Origins of the Courthouse
The companion exhibit to Modernism's Messengers: The Art of Alfonso and Margaret Iannelli, this exhibit features artifacts from the Museum's archives and a slideshow of photographs from the courthouse's history. Many of the photographs are part of the Museum's William Steele Collection. Steele worked in the Chicago office of renowned architect Louis Sullivan. The courthouse is the largest public building ever constructed in the Prairie School style.

 

March 17 – May 12, 2018
Sioux City History Projects Exhibit
The 27th annual display of models and posters created by 4th grade students of local historic landmarks, people, and events.

 

September 2, 2017 - March 31, 2018
Honoring Our Armed Services: 1861-2017
Area armed service members have contributed to every major U.S. military effort from the Civil War to the ongoing conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria. Explore the military contributions of Siouxland residents past and present through uniforms, weaponry, equipment, and photographs.

February 3 - March 11, 2018
Sign of the Times: The Great American Political Poster 1844–2012
Explore a variety of styles, design trends, and printing technology of some of the most exciting and rarely seen posters created in the last 170 years. This traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

 

 
November 11, 2017 - January 7, 2018
Coney Island: Visions of an American Dreamland
A traveling exhibit that brings to life the excitement of Coney Island, showing visitors how its magnetic world of attractions has become a touchstone for American mass culture and popular recreation. The exhibit is made possible by NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and Mid-America Arts Alliance.

 

 

October 3 - November 5, 2017
Fully Involved
In recognition of Fire Prevention Month, 51 firefighting images of Sioux City Fire Rescue by prolific local photographer George Lindblade are on display along with two historic International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 7 banners.

 

 May 19 – August 13, 2017
The Hidden Works of Jay N. “Ding” Darling
A traveling exhibit featuring the works and personal artifacts of the pioneering conservationist, creator of the Duck Stamp and two-time Pulitzer Prize winning cartoonist who grew up in Sioux City and started his career at the Sioux City Journal. 

June 17 – August 6, 2017
Vibrant Bounty: Chinese Folk Art from the Shaanxi Region
This traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

March 18 – May 13, 2017
Sioux City History Projects Exhibit
The 26th annual display of models and posters created by 4th grade students of local historic landmarks, people, and events.

March 31 – May 7, 2017
Diaries of Humanity Holocaust Exhibit   
This traveling exhibit features a collection of diaries or handwritten notes from a variety of areas in Europe during the Holocaust. On loan from The Institute for Holocaust Education.

The display also includes selected images from the Sioux City Public Museum's Vernon Tott Collection. Tott, a Sioux City native, was a WWII soldier who took photographs of the newly liberated prisoners at the German concentration camp Alhem.

December 9, 2016 - March 19, 2017
A History of Brewing in Sioux City
Learn more about Sioux City's early breweries, their products, and the impact state and federal prohibition laws had on the industry locally. 

January 28 – March 5, 2017
Cloth as Community: Hmong Textiles Exhibit
The exhibition features 28 textiles—flower cloths and embroidered story clothes—by those in the Hmong community. This traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

November 12, 2016 - January 8, 2017
A Photo Album of Ireland   
From the earliest photographs taken in the 1850s to the advent of the digital era in the early 1990s, these images reveal details about how people lived, worked, and gathered that official historical records may have overlooked. This traveling exhibit is a program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

 

September 3 - November 27, 2016
New to You: Recent Artifact Donations
A diverse selection of artifacts from recent donations to never-displayed treasures from the Museum’s collection. Among the highlights is memorabilia from Sioux City high schools and colleges.

 

August 19 - October 30, 2016 
Uncle John’s Mural 
The full set of panels created by local artist Paul Chelstad more than 30 years ago for the venerable music store Uncle John’s Records. Chelstad re-created one of the panels recently that was damaged when the mural was removed from the store's ceiling.

 

July 8 – August 14, 2016
Wandering S pirit: African Wax Prints  
A traveling exhibit that serves as a tribute to the century-old handmade designs and patterns on textiles that originated in Indonesia and were copied and industrialized by Europeans and exported to Africa. A program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

June 17 – August 7, 2016
Backstage Pass: Baron Wolman and the Early Years of Rolling Stone 1967-1970 
A traveling exhibit exploring how the lens of one artist’s camera captured and helped define one of the most important eras in rock-n-roll history.To provide a local angle to the exhibit, a display of Siouxland music memorabilia will be showcased including murals from long-time music store, Uncle John’s Records. A program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts.

 

March 19 - May 15, 2016
Sioux City History Projects

November 21, 2015 - March 6, 2016
When Quality Was Higher than Price: Martin's, Davidson's and Pelletier's

October 20, 2015 - March 6, 2016
You Are the Curator

September 5 - October 18, 2015
For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights
This exhibit was made possible through NEH on the Road, a special initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities. It has been adapted and is being toured by Mid-America Arts Alliance. For All the World to See: Visual Culture and the Struggle for Civil Rights was organized by The Center for Art, Design, and Visual Culture, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in partnership with the National Museum of African-American History and Culture, Smithsonian Institution.

June 13 - September 13, 2015
Saturday in the Park: Rockin' for 25 Years

January 17 - May 31, 2015
Native American Artwork featuring Chuck Raymond

April 4 - May 17, 2015
Sioux City History Projects
The 24th annual exhibition of 4th grade projects showcasing the students' knowledge of local history.

January 24 - March 15, 2015
The Homestead Series

August 23, 2014 - January 4, 2015
Sioux City Journal: 150 Years in Siouxland 1864-2014

April 12 - August 10, 2014
Denmark: October 1943

 

April 5 - May 18, 2014
Sioux City History Projects

 

Through March 16, 2014
Homegrown Art: Traditional Quilt Designs

who have passed away. This year includes altars to honor family members who died from Covid-19as well as migrant children who died while in US federal custody.