Holiday guests? Take them exploring Eastern Iowa exhibits

Family and friends in town for the holiday break? Kids getting antsy?

Broaden their horizons with these area exhibits:

AFRICAN AMERICAN MUSEUM OF IOWA

'Products of a Creative Mind,' through July 30: From light bulbs to blood banks, agriculture to transportation, this exhibit highlights the ways African Americans have invented or improved everyday items. Visitors of all ages can explore objects, images and hands-on activities.

Kwanzaa Micro Exhibit, through Jan. 15: This table setting in the lobby features the symbols of the Nguzo Saba, or seven principles: Unity, Self Determination, Collective Work and Responsibility, Cooperative Economics, Purpose, Creativity and Faith. Kwanzaa, modeled after African harvest festivals, is celebrated between Christmas and New Year's Day. It was created 50 years ago as a way for people to incorporate African culture and heritage into their other winter celebrations.

Details: 55 12th Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, free to $5, Blackiowa.org

CEDAR RAPIDS MUSEUM OF ART

After your sci-fi fans have seen 'Star Wars' for the third or fourth time, take them to downtown Cedar Rapids for the Museum of Art's first science fiction exhibitions.

'Ryan Bentzinger: nAMUH,' through Jan. 17: Bentzinger, 26, of Iowa City, created a watercolor world for the illustrations in his new graphic novel, 'nAMUH,' which is 'human' spelled backward. This first-floor solo exhibit features 74 pieces depicting scenes from the novel's prologue and first chapter, where the artist's 'gruesome-yet-endearing characters' navigate their post-apocalyptic world.

'Out of This World: Science Fiction and Fantasy Art,' through Sunday: Full of fantasy and dragons, space travel and superheroes, this collection features 23 pieces from 10 artists who have been guests of honor over the past 30 years at ICON, Iowa's longest-running science fiction and fantasy convention.

Other exhibits: 'Living with Pots: Ceramics from the Eric Dean and Todd Thelen Collection,' 'The Restless Spirit: American Art from the Collection,' and permanent exhibits on artist Grant Wood, master printmaker Mauricio Lasansky and Roman portrait busts.

Details: 410 Third Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids; noon to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, noon to 8 p.m. Thursday, closed New Year's Day. free to $7, Crma.org

HERBERT HOOVER PRESIDENTIAL LIBRARY & MUSEUM

'The Making of the Great Humanitarian: Herbert Hoover and World War I,' through Sunday: See what it was like to be a stranded American overseas, a foot-soldier in the trenches or a starving Belgian child who received a hot meal in school through Hoover's Commission for Relief in Belgium.

Details: 210 Parkside Dr., West Branch; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily except New Year's Day, free to $10, Hoover.archives.gov

NATIONAL CZECH & SLOVAK MUSEUM & LIBRARY

'Samizdat: The Art of Czech Resistance, 1968-1989,' through April: Rarely seen handmade books, journals and other original works on paper that circulated secretly during the years between the Prague Spring and the Velvet Revolution. Multimedia exhibit also includes period footage of underground concerts and bootleg recordings of banned Czech bands.

'Pop-Ups From Prague,' through March 27: See the broad range of artwork by Czech architect, graphic artist and children's book illustrator Vojtech Kubasta (1914-1992). In the 1960s and '70s, his books were translated into dozens of languages and were read by children around the world.

Details: 1400 Inspiration Place SW, Cedar Rapids; 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, closed New Year's Day, free to $10, Ncsml.org

UI MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY

Permanent exhibits: 500-million-year look at Iowa's geological, cultural and ecological history; the world of birds; ecology, geology, taxidermy and biodiversity; mammal displays, from aardvarks to zebras; biosphere, and more.

Details: Macbride Hall, University of Iowa Pentacrest, downtown Iowa City; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Mondays and national holidays, free admission, Mnh.uiowa.edu

UI OLD CAPITOL MUSEUM

'I am Everyday People: Photographs by Kurt Ullrich,' through Sunday: Black-and-white photo exhibit captures the stories of everyday Iowans.

'Illustrations of Don Quixote: Interpretation of Imagination,' through Sunday: Artistic interpretations of Cervantes' dream weaver, from the 1600s to the 1930s, from the Don Quixote Collection at the University of Iowa Libraries and Special Collections.

Details: University of Iowa Pentacrest, Clinton Street and Iowa Avenue, downtown Iowa City; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday, 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, closed Mondays and national holidays, free admission, Oldcap.uiowa.edu