The Animals
Among Us

• Adult Exhibit
• K-12 Exhibit

 

Animals fill the corners of Iowans’ lives. We live among dogs, cats, ducks, sheep, horses, pigs, cows, goats, insects, beavers, birds, deer, turtles, coyotes, herons, fish, frogs, raccoons, even llamas.

Animals breathe life into the economy of our state. Their survival and ours depends on the environment. Our health and well-being are interwoven with theirs. Rural and urban interdependence, public health and safety issues, farming practices, civic policies, and individual ethical choices affect other animals just as they do humans.

The University of Iowa Obermann Animal Studies Group invites you to join a statewide conversation about concerns humans and animals share. As you encounter The Animals Among Us, we welcome your responses. How can we best conserve our state for future generations of all species? How shall we balance the needs of humans and other animals? What roles will animals play in the Iowa of tomorrow? What questions and actions do the words and pictures by Iowa artists suggest to you?

Acknowledgements:

• The University of Iowa Office of the President’s Year of Public Engagement Award
• The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies
• The University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research
• College of Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Presentations
• Old Capitol Museum
• Iowa Children’s Museum

The University of Iowa Obermann Animal Studies Group includes:

• Jane Desmond, Associate Dean of International Programs and Associate Professor of American Studies, Co-director
• Teresa Mangum, Associate Professor of English and International Programs, Co-director
• Kim Marra, Associate Professor of Theatre and American Studies
• Mary Trachsel, Associate Professor and DEO of Rhetoric
• Pamela Trimpe, Administrative Head of the Pentacrest Museums and Faculty Coordinator of the Museum Studies Program
• Ed Wasserman, Stuit Professor of Experimental Psychology

The Graduate Research Assistant for this project is:
Karen Smith, PhD Candidate, American Studies

Thank you to our distinguished judges:

Adult Exhibition:
Holly Carver, Director of the University of Iowa Press
Margaret Stratton, Professor of Photography of the University of Iowa
Terence Pitts, Director of the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

K-12 Exhibition:
Deb Dunkhase, Director of the Iowa Children’s Museum in Coralville
Bob Campagna, Professional Photographer and Educator, Owner of Abbe Creek Gallery
Rachel Williams, Associate Professor of Art Education at the University of Iowa.

• Adult Exhibit
• K-12 Exhibit