Here’s one way to get your art noticed: have the President of the United States call your work “disgraceful.” That’s what happened to Dread Scott in 1989. His installation, What is the Proper Way to Display a US Flag?, invited viewers to write comments in a blank notebook.
Rob Cline
‘The Wood Problem’ explores the tension between Grant Wood and the University of Iowa
On Thursday, Nov. 9 at 6 p.m., a portion of The Wood Problem will be presented as a staged reading at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. The reading will be followed by a panel discussion with Bradley, Grant Wood Art Colony Founder Jim Hayes and University of Iowa Art History Professor Joni Kinsey. The event is free.
Giving Tree’s ‘Six Degrees of Separation’ finds success in both humorous and serious moments
Under the direction of Rachel Korach Howell, the cast of the Giving Tree Theater’s production of the play successfully balances the script’s humor — which often asks the characters to slide toward caricature — with its more serious concerns.
Eight candidates vie for the Cedar Rapids mayor’s office in the Nov. 7 election
There are eight candidates vying for mayor of Cedar Rapids, ranging in age from 27 to 71 and representing a variety of backgrounds and professions. Here’s a brief look at your options when you enter the voting booth on Nov. 7.
Tenth annual Local Foods Banquet honors Kevin Dietzel
Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development (RC&D) will hold its 10th annual local food banquet on Friday, Nov. 3, at Mercy Medical Center’s Hallagan Center (701 10th St SE, Cedar Rapids) beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets for the banquet are $40.
Coe’s Playground of Science celebrates its 15th year
According to Steve Feller, a professor in the Coe College physics department, an annual tradition on campus began in the mind of a student. “The Playground of Science was a Coe student’s idea,” Feller says. “Her name is Sara Campbell. The first year, we had 400 attend, and it went into the low thousands within in three years.”
Interview: Folksinger Richard Shindell on his influences and his love of Cedar Rapids’ CSPS Hall
Songwriter, guitarist and folksinger Shindell returns to CSPS Hall on Wednesday night for a concert presented by Legion Arts. Tickets are still available — $18 in advance and $22 at the door — for the concert, which begins at 7 p.m. Shindell will be joined by Marc Shulman on electric guitar.
New parade kicks off Halloween early in Cedar Rapids
When it comes to Halloween, you might be on the lookout for floating phantasms and the like. But floats of a different kind will celebrate the spooky holiday as the Halloween Parade wends its way through the streets of the New Bohemia District and Czech Village on Friday night, Oct. 27.
Gilded Pear explores Framework in their second juried art exhibit
The notion of Framework frames the new juried exhibition at the Gilded Pear Gallery in the Cedar Rapids Med Quarter District (808 3rd Ave. S.E.). Lauren Tucci, gallery assistant and inventory manager, is the coordinator of the show. She says the framework theme arose as waters rose in Cedar Rapids in September 2016.
CSPS Legion Arts-commissioned ‘Pang!’ premieres in Cedar Rapids, exploring poverty on stage
Pang! CSPS Hall — Friday, Oct. 20 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 21 at 4 and 8 p.m. Pang!, a production made up of three live radio plays about […]
North America’s only professional marimba quartet makes a stop in Cedar Rapids
The Heartland Marimba Quartet — the only professional marimba quartet in North America — will present a concert at the Eastern Iowa Arts Academy (1841 E Ave NE, Cedar Rapids) on Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. The concert is free, but a $15 donation is suggested.
Amara Piano Quartet helps the Friends of Music at Coe celebrate a big anniversary
For 25 years, the Friends of Music at Coe (FOMAC) has been working to connect the Coe College Music Department with the wider Cedar Rapids community in an effort to build audiences. The group, founded by alumni and friends of Coe, also works to provide enhanced educational opportunities by bringing guest artists to campus.