The phrase “representation is important” has become ubiquitous, so commonplace that it’s easy to lose sight of its meaning. On Twitter, or “X,” the phrase is used memetically to accompany pictures of cute, lazy animals, representing a user’s mental state or level of comfort. What does a joke about the importance of reputation obscure? In […]
Rob Silverman Ascher
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Theater Review: ‘Clue’ cast ‘fires on all cylinders’ in ‘deliriously funny romp’
In the wake of Barbie’s big summer, adaptations of intellectual properties (IP if you’re in the know) are inescapable. And like any monolith, there are good and bad. For every LEGO Movie, there’s an Emoji Movie. Thankfully, Theatre Cedar Rapids’ Clue is a very silly slice of slapstick to be shared with an audience and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Elizabeth Catlett documentary captures a trailblazing UI grad who helped shape the 20th century art world
In a new documentary on artist Elizabeth Catlett, Heather Nickels, a curator at the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, remarks that Catlett’s mission as a sculptor and printmaker was to excavate the stories of “nameless and faceless” Black women. Standing Strong, directed by Kevin Kelley — and screening at the Des Moines Arts Center on […]
Posted inEastern Iowa
Theater Review: ‘Macbeth’ from Iowa City’s Willow Creek Theatre Company
What brings people back to the work of a 459-year-old playwright? Shakespeare’s legitimacy and relevance make for frequent debate among theater makers and audiences, evidenced by course catalogs and panel titles all over the world. This weekend, Willow Creek Theatre Company’s production of Macbeth, directed by Luke Alexander Brooks, focuses on Shakespeare’s powers as a […]
