The University Museums at Iowa State University operates several facilities spread across campus and maintains thousands of pieces of artwork on campus and in its permanent collections. The museum facilities consist of the Brunnier Art Museum housed in the Scheman Continuing Education Building; the Farm House Museum; and the Christian Petersen Art Museum, housed in Morrill Hall. In addition to the University Museum's permanent collections on display in their galleries, the museum staff also maintains Iowa State University's vast and diverse Art on Campus Collection. The most recent addition to the University Museums is the Elizabeth and Byron Anderson Sculpture Garden, located between Morrill Hall and Beardshear Hall.

University Museums began as the Brunnier Gallery, a space dedicated in 1975 in the newly constructed Scheman Continuing Education Building, which is a part of the larger Iowa State Center building complex. Henry Brunnier, who was a graduate of Iowa State, and his wife were early donors to the Iowa State Center fundraising project, and as part of their gift they donated their large personal collection of dolls, glassware, enamels, porcelain, and other decorative artwork. The Brunnier Gallery became the Brunnier Gallery and Museum in 1980 and the museum was accredited in 1983 by the American Association of Museums.

The Farm House was the first structure built on the Iowa State University campus in 1860. For over one hundred years, the Farm House served as a home to college deans, faculty, and students. In 1965, the Farm House was declared a National Historic Landmark and the final residents, Dean Floyd Andre and his family, moved out in 1970. It was decided that the Farm House should be saved and restored to resemble what it may have looked like during its first 50 years. The Farm House Museum was opened to the public on July 4, 1976.

The most recent additions to the University Museums are the Christian Petersen Art Museum and the Elizabeth and Byron Anderson Sculpture Garden. The Christian Petersen Art Museum is named for the nation's first permanent artist-in-residence, Christian Petersen, who sculpted and taught at Iowa State and created many of the well-known works of art on campus. The museum was added in 2007 and is housed in the recently renovated Morrill Hall. The Anderson sculpture garden is named after Iowa State graduate Elizabeth Anderson and her late husband Byron. The sculpture garden displays an assortment of modern artwork alongside work of Christian Petersen. The sculpture garden is located south of Morrill Hall.

The University Museums also maintains the hundreds of pieces of art located on campus in the Art on Campus Collection. This artwork includes statues, murals, paintings, and other two- and three-dimensional works of art. The University Museums provides tours and online information for anyone interested in viewing Iowa State's rich collection of art.

This collection (1980-[ongoing]) contains annual reports, correspondence, docent information, exhibition information, and printed materials. Only a handful of annual reports for the University Museums are available in the collection however there are a good number of annual reports available for the Farm House Museum. Printed materials include cards, invitations, and postcards. There is a large assortment of blank cards and postcards which were sold by the University Museums in their gift shop or used for their own purposes.

The materials related to the Ding Darling exhibition include photographic prints of the drawings on display along with identification information used by the University Museums. The collection also contains a syllabus for the class Textiles and Clothing/Anthropology 257, Museum Studies – Introduction to Museums. This course is taught by University Museums staff and introduces students to working in museums.

Related collections include the Art On Campus Collection, RS 4/8/5; the Mary Atherly Papers, RS 5/8/51; and the Christian Petersen Papers, RS 26/2/52. Also, oral history interviews with longtime University Museums Director Lynette Pohlman and Curator Mary Atherly are available in the Sesquicentennial Oral History Collection, RS 0/11/7.

The collection is arranged alphabetically.