How the Univ. of Iowa Saved its art collection

A wonderful article about the rescue of the UIMA's collection, written by Diane Heldt, is featured on The Gazette's homepage today. It's accompanied by a short video by Michael Barnes that really captures the feel of the UIMA's current exhibition, Eye Witness: Daniel Heyman's Portraits of Iraqi Torture Victims.

Here's just a taste of the story, titled "How the Univ. of Iowa saved its art collection":

"So it has come to this, Jeff Martin thought.

"Removing an art collection from its home is a major undertaking. Packing precious works and loading them onto trucks, seeing a museum stripped of life and left with bare walls is unsettling.

"But the alternative on this Monday, June 9, was much worse. Martin, manager of exhibitions and collections at the University of Iowa Museum of Art, knew this.

"The nearby Iowa River was rising, higher and faster than anyone expected."

Read the rest of the article online.