Registration coming soon!

Experience a guided tour of the Main Library Gallery's spring 2026 exhibition, Orchestrating Community: The Public Service of Iowa Conductor James Dixon.

As an Iowa native and a Hawkeye, conductor James Dixon (1928–2007) was instrumental in building orchestras at the University of Iowa, in the Midwest, and abroad. Through a look at Dixon's adventurous career, this exhibition provides a "behind the podium" look at how orchestras of all sizes connect with their communities and become crucial to sustaining them.

Co-curated by Sarah Suhadolnik, assistant professor of instruction at the UI School of Music, and Katie Buehner, director of the Rita Benton Music Library, this exhibition uses materials from Special Collections and Archives and the Rita Benton Music Library at the University of Iowa Libraries to share the important work of orchestras through the lens of Dixon's life.

Following the tour, there will be time to enjoy the exhibit on your own and stop by the Main Library's Learning Commons, which includes 18 private group rooms and six open group areas, all with writing surfaces and monitors that encourage collaborative work.

Date: June 17
Time: 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Host(s): Sara Pinkham and Anne Bassett
Location: Main Library – 125 W. Washington St.
Notes: Meet inside the north entrance of the Main Library, which faces the English-Philosophy Building. Public parking is available at the Stanley Musuem of Art and the Capitol Street Ramp. The Main Library is also a stop for several Cambus routes.