Public Events Calendar

In this public reception for her Master of Fine Arts thesis exhibition, integrated visual arts graduate student Parisa Keshavarziyan invites visitors to "step into an immersive, interactive art experience where you are part of the creation. Unlike traditional exhibitions, 'Please Touch the Art' invites visitors to play, paint, spin, and discover, engaging directly with the artwork." Read more in the news release about the exhibition
This exhibition breaks the usual “do not touch” rules and transforms the gallery into a hands-on space of exploration and creativity:

- A big canvas for painting – express yourself directly on a large-scale artwork

- Tic-Tac-Toe – A Moral Twist – Play the classic game with choices that invite reflection and creative thinking

- Zoetrope Bowl – First Animation – Experience one of the earliest forms of animation come to life in a spinning, playful installation

- Explore Stereotypes Through Photos – Interact with images that challenge assumptions and invite reflection on common perceptions and cultural ideas

The show runs from April 6-9 in Gallery 181.

Speaker: Yujiro Seki
5:30pm Film Screening, 7:15pm Discussion

This documentary offers a rare, insider look into the artistic process and master-apprentice relationships of a 1400 year-old lineage of Buddhist woodcarving. This intimate film weaves several narrative threads, including following Master Seki Kōun and his new apprentices as they embark on their difficult training, rituals and meetings with the Buddhist clergy and the creation of sculptures, and the larger context of human perseverance through life’s challenges and disasters such as the Tōhoku tsunami. Following a screening of this rich documentary, the audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and speak directly with the director over Zoom.

Please note: this event will not be recorded.
Co-Sponsors: College of Design Art Club,  Art & Visual Culture Department, World Languages and Cultures Department, Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)

Students received funding through the Focus Grant program for creative projects outside of the classroom over the past year.
Funded in part by Student Government.

Civil Discussion: Community-Based
A House Meeting is a form of civil discussion and is a practice with its roots in the Civil Rights Movement, where small groups come together to share their personal stories and experiences as a way to determine community needs and opportunities for collaboration and policy change. It’s a nonpartisan approach designed to get past divisive politics to develop trust, respect, and creative solutions. AMOS (A Mid-Iowa Organizing Strategy) is an alliance of 35 churches and social service agencies in Story and Polk Counties.
Co-Sponsors: Center for Cyclone Civics

Speaker: Neil Shubin
This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.

Neil Shubin, a leading paleontologist and evolutionary biologist, will trace the deep history of our own bodies in "From Fish to Humans: The Evolution of Vertebrates", drawing on decades of field expeditions and groundbreaking research that link fossils, genetics, and development to reveal how major anatomical innovations first emerged. His work—from uncovering transitional species like Tiktaalik to analyzing how fins, limbs, joints, and sensory systems evolved—shows how shifts in ancient ecosystems during pivotal periods such as the Devonian and Triassic shaped the rise of vertebrate diversity, including the traits we carry today. By weaving together discoveries from Canada to Greenland with insights from modern developmental biology, Shubin illuminates the shared blueprint that connects humans to the earliest lobe‑finned fish and demonstrates how evolutionary processes continue to shape life across millions of years.

The University Book Store will be onsite selling the speaker's book at the event.
Co-Sponsors: Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology Department (EEOB), University Library, Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)

Don't miss GRANDMA MOJO's, Iowa State's premier improv comedy troupe, for nights of hilarity, every other Wednesday all semester!

Join us for this mega semiannual in-store and one-day only event celebrating the Cyclone community. Local businesses and campus groups will have tables throughout the store offering prizes, free samples, adoptable dogs, and deals on clothing, gifts, and technology.

Speaker: Adriana Estill
Since the 1960s, telenovelas have been recognized as a uniquely Latin American melodramatic televisual form. Many have achieved cult status--Cuna de lobos, Los ricos también lloran, Yo soy Betty la fea--and, as such, have become known beyond their origin countries as they are viewed not just within Latin America but around the globe. The internet age opened up telenovelas to entirely new audiences, and the democratization of media editing tools has made clips, gifs, and video production more readily available both to makers and consumers. In this talk, I'll be sharing some of my favorite telenovela memes in order to think about how these short-form interactions with telenovelas reveal an ongoing nostalgia for and engagement with the genre. I'll also be arguing that telenovelas prove particularly useful for young Latine audiences who use them as a way to access a wealth of cultural memories that reinforce the power and knowledge that Latinidad offers.

Adriana Estill grew up mostly in Richmond, California with some formative years spent in Guadalajara, Mexico, the home of her mother. She studied comparative literature, earning a BA (Stanford) and PhD (Cornell). She is presently, professor of English and M.A. and A.D. Hulings Professor of American Studies at Carleton College in Northfield, MN . Her publications include: “Latinx melodrama: Telenovela legacies in twenty-first century audiovisual narratives,” "Telenovelas and Melodrama in Latin America," "Closing the telenovela's borders: Vivo por Elena's tidy nation" and "Telenovela Spectres on U.S. Television: Constructing Latinidad on the Small Screen."

This lecture recording can be found on the Available Recordings page approximately two business days after the event and will remain accessible for three weeks.
Co-Sponsors: US Latino/a Studies Program, Committee on Lectures (funded by Student Government)

Fairytales can be some of the first stories we’re told, sparking imagination and curiosity. Visit the Brunnier Art Museum to explore the visual storytelling exhibitions Tell Me A Story and Infrastructure/Mapping Agriculture. Create your own name or letter sign inspired by illuminated manuscripts and grab a take-home snack. Guests are encouraged to come dressed as their favorite fantasy character.
Museum Meetups are free and open to all ISU students and their guests. 
No registration required. 
Drop in anytime between 6 and 8 pm. 

Don't miss this FREE Cyclone Cinema showing of Anaconda!

Nationally touring indie rock bands The Back Alley and Easy Honey are stopping at the M-Shop tonight!

Iowa State Softball vs Oklahoma State
Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/e6da4e0c-9d0a-417a-b8d6-b1551672…
https://cyclones.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=18498&sport_id=7

Don't miss this FREE Cyclone Cinema showing of Anaconda!

ISU students and their guests are invited to the Memorial Union from 9pm - 1am to participate in various free activities including Great Hall entertainment, bingo, a novelty activity, and so much more!

Iowa State Softball vs Oklahoma State
Streaming Video: https://www.espn.com/watch/player/_/id/deac1229-d96f-48d7-9d3c-5a2c864a…
https://cyclones.com/calendar.aspx?game_id=18499&sport_id=7

Don't miss this FREE Cyclone Cinema showing of Anaconda!

Enjoy a night of Bollywood dancing, hosted by the Indian Students Association.