Ames in Art
On display at the museum October 2022 - May 2023. This exhibit featured unique original artwork from AHM's collection. Visitors could explore the community - from downtown to Pammel Court and beyond - through the eyes of artists and designers. Visitors could view the vivid character of Ames through numerous mediums including watercolor, fiberwork, graphite pencil, and the community-designed Bicentennial quilt. Featured artists included Linda Emmerson, Stewart Buck, Velma Rayness, and many others.
Black Trailblazers
On display at the museum September 2021 - September 2022. This exhibit explored the legacies of nine Black pioneers in Ames history – Jack Trice, George Washington Carver, Walter Madison, John and Nellie Shipp, Willa Juanita Ewing, James Herman Banning, and Archie and Nancy Martin. Visitors could step inside a replica of Banning’s “Miss Ames” airplane, view crayon portraits of the Martins, and learn more about each of these remarkable individuals whose contributions reach far beyond Ames.
Uncorked: The Spirited History of Alcohol in Ames
On display at the museum August 2019 - July 2021. On January 17, 1920, the National Prohibition Act went into effect, making the United States a dry country for the next thirteen years. However, the story of alcohol and its impact on the Ames community is much larger than just the story of prohibition – although there are a lot of good bootlegging tales too! From the founding of Ames as a dry town, to modern-era microbreweries and VEISHEA disturbances, there are unique alcohol-related stories throughout the history of the community. The stories told in this exhibit showed the complex relationship Ames has had with alcohol through the years. Supported by the Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program.
Exploring Historic Ames: Unique Selections from the Farwell T. Brown Photographic Archive
On display at the museum December 2018 - August 2019. This exhibit featured photos collected by Farwell Brown, Ames historian and founder of the historical society. The photos on display were chosen from the collection based on their ability to place visitors in the past. Featured photos included early interiors of Ames businesses, stereoscope images taken by Martin Morrison, and a life-sized replica of the H-tree, which served as a photo op for visitors. The exhibit was presented in partnership with the Ames Public Library, which hosts the full photo collection on its website.
Hometown Teams: How Sports Shaped Ames
On display at the museum October-November 2018. The exhibit told the local story of sports in Ames - from town teams to Iowa State to Ames High - in conjunction with a Smithsonian traveling exhibit about hometown sports on display at the Octagon Center for the Arts across the street. Exhibit sponsored by: Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program, Ames Tribune, City of Ames, ISU Athletics, MediaCom, HCS Builders Inc, Hunziker Property Management, Hunziker & Associates Realtors, Wells Fargo, Ames Chamber of Commerce, Iowa Games, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames Public Library, ISU Design on Main, Little Woods Herbs & Tea, Ames Main Street. Now re-created as a virtual 360-degree exhibit!
Cathedrals of the Plains: A Photo Series of Midwest Grain Elevators
On display at the museum August-September 2018. This exhibit featured photography by Judith Eastburn along with the Ames elevator story. Judith Eastburn holds an MFA in Photography from The University of Iowa. She has taught photography courses at levels ranging from children to university students for the past twenty years. Her work has appeared in twenty four juried shows, and she has presented eight one-person shows. The Froning & Deppe grain elevator and its predecessors were a feature of the downtown Ames skyline for a hundred years, from the late 1870s until 1979.
Fly With Banning
On display at the Ames Public Library February 2018. "Fly with Banning" was an interactive educational traveling exhibit highlighting the life story of an African American aviation hero - James Herman Banning. Banning became the first African American to receive a U.S. Department of Commerce pilot’s license and to complete a transcontinental flight. Before moving to California and completing his historic flight, he studied at Iowa State College, managed an auto repair shop in Ames, and learned to fly near Des Moines. Exhibit sponsors: Greatest Stories Never Told, Ames Historical Society, Ames Public Library, Humanities Iowa, Iowa Space Grant Consortium, Story County Community Foundation, Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program, Wells Fargo, Ames Public Library Friends Foundation, Haps Air Service, TurnKey Investments, Members 1st Community Credit Union.
Ames Hi Aiming High Through the Years
On display at the museum November 2017 - August 2018. This exhibit featured the four Ames High School locations and included stories about academics, athletics, clubs & activities, social life & events, and performing arts during the era students attended each school building. The exhibit also included a wall with names of all Ames High graduates. A traveling exhibit is available for class reunions and other events. Click here for more information.
In Trunks, Hands, and Hearts: What Immigrants Bring to Iowa
On display at the museum October-November 2017. Through six traveling banners created by the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa, this exhibit told stories of immigrants to Iowa from a variety of places and times. The stories showed the commonality of experience, while also sharing the many unique examples. The exhibit focused on telling stories through the things that were brought (objects, skills, traditions, customs, etc.). Several supplementary panels were created to tell Ames immigrant stories. View featured Ames immigrant stories here.
Pieced Fabric: Historic Quilts of Ames
On display at the Octagon Center for the Arts August-October 2017. 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 made from materials collected by women who had little to spare. They are sturdy but worn from strawberry gathering, picnics, protecting furniture, and birthing babies. This exhibit featured beautiful quilts from the museum's collection. Many of these quilts came from long-time Ames residents, and tell the unique story of Ames history. The quilts tell the story of quilting as an art form for Iowa women.
German Iowa and the Global Midwest
On display at the Ames Public Library March-April 2017. Drawing on research by University of Iowa faculty and students, this traveling exhibit examined the lasting influence of German culture in Iowa. The exhibit explored why German immigrants flocked to the state and the influence they've had on Iowa history. Exhibit visitors could re-examine current issues such as pro- and anti-immigration sentiment, bilingualism, and multiculturalism through a historican lens and experience the triumphs and tragedies of the German people who chose to call Iowa home. Exhibit sponsored by: Ames Public Library, Iowa State University Department of History, Ames Historical Society, The University of Iowa, Humanities Iowa, Ames Public Library Friends Foundation, Story County Genealogical Society, Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, University of Iowa International Programs, Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Chicago.
World War II: Ames Doing Its Part
On display at the museum January-October 2017. This exhibit commemorated the 75th anniversary of the start of World War II. The exhibit featured stories about day-to-day life in Ames for those at home who supported the war effort in countless ways. It included engaging photos, information, and artifacts that told the story of Ames' involvement in the war.
Season's Greetings: Christmas Through the Years
On display at the museum November-December 2016. This exhibit featured five Christmas trees from different eras, larger-than-life photos from Ames Christmas seasons, a vintage Christmas village, and fun, interactive holiday activities.
A Time of Expansion: The Ames Building Boom of 1915-1916
On display at the museum October 2015 - November 2016. The years 1915 and 1916 brought great expansion to the city of Ames. In that short time Ames saw the building of the Sheldon-Munn Hotel, a new City Hall, the Masonic Building, and Mary Greeley Hospital. This exhibit focused on the history of each of these iconic buildings and how they impacted the community at the time. The exhibit included photos from the buildings' pasts, historical objects representing each building, and fun interactive activities for the whole family. This exhibit was sponsored by Mary Greeley Medical Center.
People of Our Parks
On display at the museum April-September 2015. Have you ever wondered where names for some of Ames' parks have come from? This exhibit featured sixteen Ames parks named after community residents. The exhibit included information about the Parks and Recreation Department, interactive activities, and rich maps and photographs. It explained the parks' histories and the significance of their namesakes.
Defining Ames: 150 Historic People, Places, and Events, 1864-2014
On display at the Octagon Center for the Arts August-October 2014. This exhibit in celebration of Ames' Sesquicentennial highlighted 150 people, places, and events that influenced Ames throughout the community’s history. It featured historical photographs and never-before-seen artifacts from the museum's collection. Interactive activities allowed visitors to experience Ames history hands-on. Exhibit sponsored by: Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program, City of Ames, Union Pacific, 3M, Hunziker & Associates Realtors, Danfoss, Ames Cupcake Emporium, Klatt & Associates, Turn Key Investments, Alpha Copies, Ames Tribune, Octagon Center for the Arts, Prints Copy Center.
Business Signs From Past Times
On display at the Octagon Center for the Arts August-September 2014. This exhibit highlighted Ames businesses of the past. The exhibit showed off the museum’s extensive collection of local business signs, along with historical photos and information about the businesses. Exhibit sponsored by: Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau Community Grant Program, City of Ames, Union Pacific, 3M, Hunziker & Associates Realtors, Danfoss, Ames Cupcake Emporium, Klatt & Associates, Turn Key Investments, Alpha Copies, Ames Tribune, Octagon Center for the Arts, Prints Copy Center.
Rail Reality: How the Trains Made Ames
On display at the Octagon Center for the Arts June-October 2012. This exhibit documented railroads through Ames over its 150-year history. The exhibit featured a 36-foot-long model of the downtown Ames railyards, a model of the Ames & College Railway Dinkey, and artwork by local artist Stewart Buck. Exhibit sponsored by: Union Pacific Foundation, Friends of the Union Pacific Museum, Union Pacific Railroad, Alliant Energy Foundation, Ames Convention & Visitors Bureau, Kate Shelley Division of the National Model Railroad Association, Bryan Anderson, Ames Commission on the Arts, Iowa Arts Council.