Art Professor and MFA alum featured in Iowa Women Artists Exhibit at state capitol

Professor Sue Hettmansperger and former student, MFA alum Halle Siepman, both featured
Thursday, February 11, 2016

 MFA alumna Halle Siepman, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, Art Professor Sue Hettmansperger
From left to right: MFA alumna Halle Siepman, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds,
Art Professor Sue Hettmansperger

University of Iowa Professor Sue Hettmansperger and alumna Halle Siepman have been chosen as featured artists in an ongoing Iowa Women Artists Exhibit in the Lieutenant Governor’s Office in the Des Moines State Capitol. In the exhibit, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds highlights two artists at a time for a six-month period. The work is chosen by the Iowa Arts Council.

According to the lieutenant governor's website: "The project was started to highlight Iowa’s female artists.  Art is essential to the quality of life in Iowa and female artists contribute to the entrepreneurial community of women in Iowa.  Increasingly, Reynolds hears from businesses and industry that not only are they interested in Iowa’s friendly business climate when considering where to reinvest and grow, they’re also interested in a high quality of life – including vibrant arts and culture – for their employees."

Hettmansperger is a professor of painting and drawing in the School of Art & Art History, part of the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. Siepman received her MFA in painting and drawing from the School of Art & Art History in 2015. Siepman was Hettmansperger’s student during her time at the UI. 


The University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences offers about 70 majors across the humanities; fine, performing and literary arts; natural and mathematical sciences; social and behavioral sciences; and communication disciplines. About 15,000 undergraduate and nearly 2,000 graduate students study each year in the college’s 37 departments, led by faculty at the forefront of teaching and research in their disciplines. The college teaches all Iowa undergraduates through the college's general education program, CLAS CORE. About 80 percent of all Iowa undergraduates begin their academic journey in CLAS. The college confers about 60 percent of the university's bachelor's degrees each academic year.