DES MOINES, IOWA (March 3, 2023) — More than 180 Iowans came together Wednesday, March 2, to celebrate the remarkable contributions of Iowans in Cedar Rapids, Des Moines, Dubuque, Hampton, Iowa City, Marshalltown, and Mason City who have left their mark on Iowa through the arts.

DES MOINES, IOWA (November 14, 2022) — The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs invites Iowans from across the state to enjoy Iowa art, history, food, and entertainment during the Celebrate Iowa Gala on Friday, December 9, at the Scottish Rite Consistory, 519 Park St, in Des Moines.

Free mobile app features more than 3,500 arts, history and cultural destinations in Iowa

(DES MOINES) - Iowa Gov. Terry E. Branstad and Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced today the launch of Iowa Culture, a new interactive mobile app that puts the largest, most comprehensive statewide collection of Iowa arts, history and cultural destinations in the palm of your hand.

"I travel to all 99 counties every year, so I know these destinations are points of pride that connect Iowans and visitors to the stories of Iowa," Branstad said. "I am very pleased we now have this fun and interactive tool that helps people discover and experience Iowa's best-kept secrets. I encourage Iowans and others to download Iowa Culture and use it today."

"The Iowa Culture app not only serves as a marketing and promotional tool, it also offers life-long learning opportunities for people of all ages and across all generations as they discover and experience Iowa," Reynolds said. "I am especially pleased this project aligns with our STEM initiative by showcasing the use of digital technology as an educational tool, while connecting Iowans with even more opportunities to learn across Iowa.  I join Governor Branstad in encouraging Iowans to download it and use it today."

The Iowa Culture app includes more than 3,500 historic sites, arts experiences and cultural destinations, including sites on the National Register of Historic Places, museums, historic schools and theaters, performing art centers, public art, and science and nature sites.

Through the app, people can plan vacations, weekend getaways and daytrips all across Iowa with a simple search by category or subcategory, keyword, or destinations in their immediate vicinity. Users can also filter their search by town and view destinations as far as 50 miles or as close as one mile to the chosen town. They can also create their own tours or explore featured tours included in the app.

The department began working on the app in 2013 when it recognized Iowa needed a comprehensive inventory of arts, history and cultural destinations. In 2014, the department hosted 30 Community Conversations across the state to ask Iowans for input on local cultural vitality and how the State Historical Building could be a hub for Iowans interested in arts, history, historic preservation and other cultural initiatives.

"During these community conversations, Iowans said they want their communities to be promoted as progressive, innovative and culturally healthy," Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Mary Cownie said. "Iowans also said they want to increase awareness of and ensure greater sustainability for Iowa's hidden gems. The Iowa Culture app delivers on those requests by giving people information they can use to discover and explore all of the cultural amenities that Iowa has to offer."

The Iowa Culture was developed by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs and is free and compatible with most iPhones and Android Smartphones. It is available for download by searching "Iowa Culture" in the Apple and Google Play stores.

The Iowa Culture app will continue to grow and evolve as more destinations are identified and added. Iowans are encouraged to suggest a place, submit photos, provide feedback and get more information by visiting www.iowacultureapp.com.

WIN AN EXCLUSIVE IOWA CULTURE EXPERIENCE

In conjunction with today's announcement, the Department of Cultural Affairs is launching the Iowa Culture Selfie Contest.

Iowans and others are invited to share their most creative selfie at any of the destinations on Iowa Culture and share it on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with #iowaculture for a chance to win exclusive experiences and getaways to some of Iowa's unique cultural destinations.

Visit www.iowacultureapp.com for details and official rules.

Share your experiences using #iowaculture.

Facebook: iowaculture

Twitter: @iowaculture

Instagram: @iowaculture

32 Iowa students win National History Day in Iowa contest

Students advance to national contest at University of Maryland next month

DES MOINES - Thirty-two Iowa students took top honors in a statewide history contest this week and will represent Iowa at the National History Day competition next month at the University of Maryland.

The 32 students competed against 375 other students in the junior division (grades 6-8) of the National History Day in Iowa contest this week at the State Historical Museum of Iowa in Des Moines. The students join 38 other Iowa students who competed last week in the NHD in Iowa senior division (grades 9-12) in advancing to the 2013 Kenneth E. Behring National History Day Contest held June 9-14, 2013, at the University of Maryland.

The group of 70 Iowa students will compete for scholarships and cash prizes against nearly 2,500 students from the United States, Guam, America Samoa, Department of Defense Schools in Europe, and Shanghai, China

National History Day is an academic-enrichment program that helps students learn about historical issues, ideas, people and events. The year-long academic adventure fosters students' enthusiasm for learning and encourages them to use primary, secondary, community and statewide resources on a subject of their choice related to an annual theme. The theme for 2013 is "Turning Points in History: People, Ideas, Events.

Working individually or collaboratively in groups of two to five, students compete in the following categories: historical papers, individual and group exhibits, documentaries, performances and websites. Nearly 10,000 Iowa students competed in the program this year, with winners at school and district competitions advancing to the state contests in Des Moines.

In addition to helping students discover the world of the past, the NHD program helps them develop the following attributes that are critical for future success:

• critical thinking and problem-solving skills
• research and reading skills
• oral and written communication and presentation skills
• self-esteem and confidence
• a sense of responsibility for and involvement in the democratic process

The NHD in Iowa program has been coordinated by the State Historical Society of Iowa since 1994 and is sponsored by the State Historical Society, Inc., and the History Channel. More information about NHD in Iowa is available at www.iowahistory.org or by contacting Millie Frese at 515-281-6860 or millie.frese@iowa.gov.

Following is the list of this year's NHD in Iowa junior division national qualifiers:

(Category)

(Community)

(Student(s))

(Title of Project)

(School)

(Teacher(s))

Junior Historical Paper

Johnston 

Brooke Thacker

Common Sense: Turning Colonists into Freedom Fighters

Johnston Middle School

Kathy Paul

Storm Lake 

Wendy Leyva

Insulin: An Elixir Of Life

Storm Lake Middle School

Priscilla Robinson

Junior Individual Exhibit

Eldridge

Matt Griebe

D?Day: Turning the Tide of WWII, Operation Overlord

North Scott Junior High School

Chris Green

Johnston 

Allie Tubbs

Jackie Robinson Turns the Tide in Baseball History

Summit Middle School

Colleen Ites

Junior Group Exhibit

Eldridge

Brady Frank, Adelyn Carmody, Benjamin Stutting

Kristallnacht "Night of Broken Glass": A Turning Point in Jewish History

North Scott Junior High School

Chris Green

Akron 

Emmy Knuth, Danika Smith, Rose Witt

Chernobyl: Fatal Disaster, Turning Point in Nuclear Energy

Akron?Westfield Community School

Colleen Westergard, Val Philips

Junior Individual Documentary

Estherville

Lizzy Herrick

Sesame Street: T is for Turning Point

Lincoln Central Middle School

Jean Hoffman

Eldridge

Michael Mohr

Henry Wallace: Hybridization of Corn, Turning Agriculture on its Ear

North Scott Junior High School

Chris Green

Junior Group Documentary

Council Bluffs 

Sam Hulett, Ben Price

Star Wars

Kirn Middle School

Deb Masker

Akron

Nick Schnell, Eric Cottrell, Michael Ford

Sputnik 1: A Small Object that Created a Huge Impact

Akron?Westfield Community School

Colleen Westergard, Val Philips

Junior Individual Performance

Akron

Makayla Swancutt

Antietam: A Crossroad to Freedom

Akron?Westfield Community School

Colleen Westergard, Val Philips

Davenport

Mickey Sloat

Game, Set, and (Pay) Match: Playing for Equity in Women's Sports

Williams Intermediate

Beth Miller

Junior Group Performance

Akron

Cameron Wahlberg, Daniel Martinsen, Skyler Briggs, Charlie Anderson

Teddy Roosevelt: Turning Tables on Corporations

Akron?Westfield Community School

Colleen Westergard, Val Philips

Fairfield

Anuja Pharasi, Dayna Price, Savannah Kelley

Nellie Bly: Benefiting Humanity One Word at a Time

Fairfield Middle School

Tena Nelson

Junior Individual Web Sites

LeMars

Kyle Marek

Civilian Conservation Corps

LeMars Middle School

Jeanne Rust

Johnston

Nikki Hobson

Nellie Bly: Paving the Way for a Society with Women in the Workforce

Johnston Middle School

Kathy Paul

Junior Group Web Sites

Nevada

Rebeka Bell, Madison Huynh

The Seneca Falls Convention: Crossroads in Women's Rights

Nevada Middle School

Randy Davis

Storm Lake

Cody Baker, Kayla Joyner

The Eisenhower Interstate System: Our Road to a Stronger Nation

Storm Lake Middle School

Priscilla Robinson

###

The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state's interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions, the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. The DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the general assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.