At the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy in Cedar Rapids, students flood in after school, rushing to music lessons, band practices and rooms stocked with art supplies.
The academy recently moved into a new home — the historic Arthur Elementary School, a sprawling two-story building that’s now a work-in-progress and an art project in itself. In the stairwell, each brick is individually decorated by visitors. Overhead, harsh rectangular light fixtures are softened with draped tapestries of famous paintings, like Starry Night. At the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy, everything is a canvas — from the pianos in the hallway to the lockers upstairs.
The nonprofit, dedicated to making arts education accessible, acquired the 111-year-old school with the help of a $260,000 grant from the Iowa Arts Council. Built in 1914 and closed in 2024, the building was once slated for demolition.
Since 2007, the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy has provided free and low-cost arts programming for people of all ages. But until now, its after-school programs were scattered across local schools and three separate locations. Now unified under one roof — while still offering outreach at schools across eastern Iowa — the organization is transforming the space into a community arts hub. There’s already a community room with a food pantry, a clothing closet and mental health resources. Visitors can borrow musical instruments, relax in a low-sensory room and rent the kitchen or gymnasium. Students can join band rehearsals, experiment in a shared maker space, or record music in the on-site studio. Several rooms are dedicated to music-making, and are stocked with keyboards, guitars and drumsets.
But the vision doesn’t stop there. Plans are underway to turn one hallway into an art gallery with open studio spaces. Over the next three years, the academy hopes to make all programs fully ADA-accessible, supported by a $300,000 matching grant from the Hall-Perrine Foundation.
“The great thing for me is that we're giving something to the community,” said Executive Director Heather Wagner. “This was such a loved school by so many people. It's been here since 1914, and the fact that we’re able to turn it into an art and music hub is just an amazing feeling.”
Wagner said the move was also a response to overwhelming demand for arts programming.
“We had waiting lists for kids to get into classes, and we had classes we just couldn’t offer because we didn’t have the space,” she said.
Today, 80% of K–12 students in the program receive financial aid. Memberships — which cost up to $190 annually — are available at full or reduced rates, and are open to people of all ages and skill levels. Since the move, Wagner says memberships have nearly doubled.
Despite serving thousands of students and adults alike, the academy operates with just three full-time employees — not including Roxy, the resident rescue cat who lives happily among the drumsets and ukuleles upstairs. The rest of the staff work part-time, sharing their professional, musical and artistic talents with the community.
“Art, music — whatever the creative pursuit — you can do it every day, and it can make you a better person,” said Rock Band Program and Recording Studio Coordinator Evan Stock. “That’s what we’re about: helping people become better through art and music.”
To hear this conversation, listen to Talk of Iowa, hosted by Charity Nebbe. Caitlin Troutman produced this episode.
