Ryan Quinn attended auctions and scoured thrift stores and junkyards for car parts with his family as a kid. In his teen years, he started searching on his own for punk rock albums from artists like The Clash. These days, he travels thousands of miles a month in his minivan, hunting down art, watches, vintage […]
Articles by Natalie Dunlap
Wilson’s Orchard evolves their image with a focus on new crops, sustainability

Since Wilson’s Apple Orchard first opened to the public 35 years ago, the visitor experience has been centered around exactly what you would expect: apples. Over the last four decades, thousands of visitors have journeyed to the orchard in autumn to pick apples, sip apple cider slushies, eat apple turnovers and buy Wilson’s merch featuring […]
Creating public art becomes more private during the pandemic, but the work continues in Iowa City

A reduction of Iowa Citians in the streets hasn’t stopped local artists from beautifying them. Thomas Agran, director of public art for the Iowa City Downtown District, said that when the pandemic started affecting local businesses and jobs, his office mobilized to try to get projects in the hands of artists as quickly as possible. […]
Englert web series ‘Nuggets of Wisdom’ presents a friendly dialogue on race and queerness

Viewers might watch an episode of the Englert Theatre’s new series, Nuggets of Wisdom, and think Sharon Udoh and Jonny Stax have been close friends for years. Whether it’s the chemistry they have in their conversation, or how comfortable they seem talking about personal subjects, there’s a sense of familiarity. The two actually met in […]
Riverside Theatre announces upcoming season, pays tribute to longtime location in virtual gala

In years past, Riverside Theatre held a spring gala called Diamonds and Denim to raise funds and preview their upcoming season. This year, social distancing guidelines didn’t allow for an event quite so glamorous, so Riverside took their 2020 fundraiser virtual, rebranding it the Sweatpants and Slippers Gala. “There’s a lot of nostalgia about this […]
Wine, dine and donate: Brix contributes more than $13,000 to fellow downtown businesses and arts organizations

When Nick Craig, owner of Brix Cheese Shop and Wine Bar in Iowa City’s Northside Neighborhood, was making plans for his girlfriend’s April 19 birthday, he knew the couple couldn’t celebrate the way they would under normal circumstances. He and Lacy Laughton would usually mark the occasion by going to a performance or eating at […]
Local artist and political cartoonist John Martinek is sending his mind traveling during quarantine

While practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, John Martinek, a local painter, printmaker and drawer (as well as a political cartoonist for Little Village magazine), is turning his artistic gaze from the stresses of the present to his own past experiences. Martinek took his first trip abroad in 1994 when he went to Africa […]
High school seniors long for a ‘feeling of closure’ while awaiting graduation ceremony decision

High schoolers in the Iowa City Community School District spend four years in a variety of different clubs and classes, but in May of their senior year, they all expect to walk across the stage and receive their diploma at Carver Hawkeye Arena. That is, until this year. As seniors finish the last weeks of […]
Sheltering at their parents’ house in Iowa City, the Bassuk sisters are expanding their eclectic jewelry brand — and giving back

From paprika and dog treats to glitter and obscenities, there is almost no limit to what Leela and Maya Bassuk will put into resin. Over Winter Break, the two sisters — both Iowa City West High grads — bought some epoxy resin and started playing around with it, inspired by artsy resin videos on Instagram. […]
‘How do I manage my anxiety about this?’: Needed now more than ever, crisis and community orgs adapt to social distancing

While the immediate concern amid the COVID-19 pandemic is physical health, social distancing has wide-stretching impacts on mental health, employment and other resources. Due to social distancing guidelines, local service organizations have had to adjust the way they serve the community during the pandemic. CommUnity In the case of CommUnity Crisis Services, all volunteers are […]
Iowa City seeks input on Creekside art installation

Backyard Abundance — an environmental education nonprofit based in Johnson County — and Marion artist Cara Briggs Farmer combined skills to remodel Chadek Green Park in 2018: the nonprofit designed a community garden, and Briggs Farmer created the “Three Sisters” art installation to complement it. “The three aluminum structures represent the three daughters of Carl […]
The Coralville Community Food Pantry is now collecting pet food

For the last 10 years, the shelves of the Coralville Community Food Pantry have consistently been stocked with beans, rice, pasta, bread, dairy products, canned food and fresh produce for low-income residents of Coralville and, more recently, Tiffin. In 2020, the pantry has designated some shelf space for kibble. Pantry organizers have long noticed a […]