CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – Original drawings by Iowa artist Grant Wood, hidden away for decades, were carefully uncovered for just one day this week — offering a rare glimpse into how one of Eastern Iowa’s most recognizable works of art came to life.
Inside the Veterans Memorial Building, century-old paper panels were delicately laid out across the floor, a process that took hours, patience, and extreme care. The drawings are Wood’s original full-scale designs for the stained-glass window that still hangs on the front of the building today.
“There’s 58 panels that make up the memorial window, and so therefore there are 58 drawing panels,” said Teri Van Dorston, the Veterans Memorial Building and Commission Museum manager. “We’re trying to put each panel together to make the same scene that Grant Wood made back in 1928.”
Because of their age and fragility, the drawings are rarely handled — and even more rarely displayed. Only a small group of people have ever worked with them, making this assembly a once-in-a-generation moment.
“This is once-in-several-decades opportunity to get these fragile drawings out of storage and into an open view,” Van Dorston said.
That open view, however, was brief. Due to their value and vulnerability to light and air, the drawings could only be exposed for a short time before being carefully returned to archival storage.
The temporary unveiling was documented as part of a new film project on Grant Wood, led by Iowa filmmaker Kevin Kelley with New Mile Media. Kelley said moments like this reveal how much of Iowa’s artistic history often goes unseen — even by lifelong residents.
“To see a drawing of his this massive of size is an absolute joy. It’s a real treat,” Kelley said. “I think Iowans particularly need to know more about their art history. Especially an artist like Grant Wood — he’s so important to Iowa and to the world.”
After just one day, the drawings were carefully packed away once again — preserved for future generations, waiting for the next rare opportunity to be uncovered.
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