The Main Library Gallery at the University of Iowa Libraries welcomes visitors to go “behind the podium” in its new exhibition about local orchestra conductor James Dixon (1928–2007). Free and open to the public, Orchestrating Community: The Public Service of Iowa Conductor James Dixon opened on Jan. 20 and will be on display through June 26, 2026.
Dixon was an Iowa native, and a longtime director of the University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra and the Quad City Symphony Orchestra. Curated by Assistant Professor of Instruction Sarah Suhadolnik from the UI School of Music and Rita Benton Music Library Director Katie Buehner, this exhibition explores Dixon’s adventurous international conducting career as well as his important impact on orchestras and musicians at home in Iowa.
The exhibition includes personal correspondences, photographs, artifacts, music scores, audio clips, and much more from the UI Libraries Special Collections and Archives and the Rita Benton Music Library that help tell the story of Dixon’s life and work. These materials and the stories shared by the curators also celebrate the ways in which orchestras of all sizes connect with their local communities.
“This is a story about Iowa and Iowans,” says co-curator Katie Buehner. “While many of the characters in the exhibit travel a great deal to other locations, their roots stay firmly in this community. This is also a story about music and how it brings people together.”
“Dixon operated at all times with a tangible vision of what his ensembles contributed to their respective communities,” says co-curator Sarah Suhadolnik. “I hope visitors will leave the exhibit with a better appreciation for the arts of all sorts as fundamentally collaborative undertakings.”
The James Dixon Papers were recently donated to the UI Libraries by Carey Bostian and Miera Kim, close friends of Dixon. They are also leaders of and core musicians in local nonprofit organization Red Cedar Chamber Music.
Learn more about the exhibition, related events, and visiting hours at lib.uiowa.edu/gallery.