Art Farm Iowa invites visitors to stretch their imaginations
Detour down a rural road near the Iowa-Minnesota border to find a farmhouse that demands a double-take. Two-story pink tulips painted on white clapboard siding seem to wave visitors onto the acreage. These gigantic flowers announce Art Farm Iowa, a cultural attraction growing amidst fields of corn and soybeans in Worth County.
The property, situated just off Highway 65, presents a slightly surreal scene at the intersection of art and agriculture. Pull past a pair of wooden Hereford cattle sculptures on the front lawn and more murals come into view. A monarch spreads its wings across the garage. On another outbuilding, rainbow rivers pour from the eyes of a Longhorn steer. Near a large red shed, street art-style blooms brighten up a 20-foot stretch of the gravel lot.
Art Farm Iowa’s mission is to encourage community vitality by cultivating a destination for artistic and cultural offerings. Since opening to the public on Labor Day weekend in 2023, the immersive gallery and gathering place has hosted indoor and outdoor exhibitions, artist-in-residence events, hands-on experiences for youth, concerts and chef-led dinners.
“We want people to come and see museum-quality pieces and also work from emerging artists, local artists and even 10-year-old kids,” said Art Farm Iowa founder Steve Hanson. “We want it to be participatory and inclusive of everyone.”
Beyond Barn Quilts
Steve is an entrepreneur and enthusiastic art collector who was looking for a creative way to transition his family’s homestead near Northwood. He spent the past few decades based in Phoenix but cares deeply about the farm where he grew up and his parents still live. When Steve began to envision returning to Iowa, he was inspired to display contemporary works that would draw people in and generate fresh energy.
Artist Lucretia Torva was recently commissioned to contribute to Art Farm Iowa’s ‘mural garden,’ a collection of cement panels emerging from the foundation of the farm’s former hog enclosure. Lucretia’s painting, “Field of Time,” features Star Wars droids C-3PO and R2-D2 against a Grant Wood-inspired landscape. Considered closely, the mural is much more than a regionalist sendup.
“It reflects how machinery has taken over farming and imagines the future impact of AI,” Steve said.
Art Farm Iowa’s main indoor gallery makes a machine shed feel like a museum. Rotating exhibitions feature pieces from Steve’s wide-ranging personal collection alongside other original works, some of which are available for purchase. Bright white walls and tall ceilings create an airy atmosphere that counters the vintage tractor parked out front.
“I always joke that ‘we went farm on the outside, Madison Avenue on the inside,’” Steve said, referencing the New York City art hub.
Well-timed visitors might meet resident artists who come to create here. Ken Boe, ‘Arizona’s outlaw artist,’ spent a month on-site, demonstrating his unique style of painting with a bullwhip and writing and sharing poetry. Los Angeles-based artist YAI also stayed at Art Farm Iowa to showcase her talents as a muralist and participate in a SPAM-themed dinner. UK-based artist Lucy Sparrow is slated to open an original felt exhibition in the summer of 2025.
Work In Progress
Elements of Art Farm Iowa are still under construction. As the nonprofit expands its collaborations, visitors will find different opportunities cropping up on the 10 acres. Newly erected grain bins will become a ceramics studio, and the farm plans to welcome some livestock back, too.
The farm’s event calendar is packed with farm-to-fork dinners, live music performances and of course, rotating art exhibits.
Partners like Iowa State University Extension continue to conceptualize community engagement initiatives. Anyone who stops in can fold an origami monarch and learn about the insect’s migration corridor. Youth attending a culture camp worked with Karenni-American artist Maw Reh whose stunning large-scale portrait of a woman in traditional dress dominates the Art Farm Iowa patio.
Steve hopes Art Farm Iowa stimulates conversations and becomes more than a standalone success. If it attracts new investments to the area, the initiative could seed more momentum in Iowa’s north-central region.
“Let’s make this a ‘Marfa of the Midwest,’” Steve said, alluding to the small Texas town’s internationally renowned art scene. “The goal for this project is to not just have one art farm in the area.”
How to get there: Art Farm Iowa is two miles outside Northwood, Iowa, just off the Jefferson Highway Heritage Byway, which stretches from Missouri to Minnesota. It’s just a half-hour north of Mason City, along a route that includes historical and cultural stops as it runs through the center of the state. Art Farm Iowa is also a 15-minute detour east of I-35 at Exit 214, which makes it a convenient day trip or stop between Des Moines and the Twin Cities.
Grab a bite: Art Farm Iowa is a tranquil spot for anyone passing through to enjoy a picnic, but visitors can choose from several local dining options. Stop for lunch or the pie of the day at Sue’s Corner Post Café, dinner at Signatures Supper Club or tacos and a drink at Worth Brewing Company.
