On a Sunday morning, I quietly made my way through the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art’s second-floor galleries to “Powerful: The Art of Käthe Kollwitz,” on display through Jan. 4, 2026. I entered, sat on a wooden bench, collected myself and looked around, much as I would before a mass. Julia Jessen, curator of Collections […]
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: DIEZELEATER — ‘Couthless Aggression’
With a band name styled in ALL CAPS and “kvlt and tru” spelling, you know you’re going to have some sort of preconceived notion of the Des Moines-based metallers DIEZELEATER (Should it technically be DIEZELDRINKER?) and I won’t tell you mine.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Yo-Yo Ma reflects on finding his sound, overcoming doubts and what makes us human at Hancher
Yo-Yo Ma sits in the middle of the stage, one leg draped over the other, as he listens to a question from someone in the audience. “Ask me anything” appears on a large screen above him. One of the questions comes from a young man, a cello player who wants to know how to overcome […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘The Monsters We Make: Murder, Obsession, and the Rise of Criminal Profiling’ by Rachel Corbett
All through college, and for several years after, I was a self-professed true crime girlie. I suspect my interest sprung from watching CSI with my parents growing, nestled up in the secure monotony of Midwest farmland while learning about decomposition and blood splatter. In my mid-20s, several provoking pieces about survivorhood and a handful of […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Dance company BODYTRAFFIC pays homage to Buddy Holly, Peggy Lee and James Brown in Des Moines
Des Moines Performing Arts launched their 2025-2026 Dance Series with a powerful performance by BODYTRAFFIC. Based in Los Angeles, the renowned dance company celebrates diversity and innovation through performance and education initiatives, sharing their passion for dance with audiences across the world.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
This weekend in Iowa: Astro Brat release party, Damon Gupton joins Orchestra Iowa and more
Established 2001 | Always free! Word is this weekend may see the Midwest hit with a potentially record-breaking arctic blast, so pull out your winter jacket if you head to any of these events featured in today’s Weekender. Iowa City has two big ensembles visiting the Englert stage; Mariachi Herencia de México on Friday and Family Folk […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘Fashion Activist: My Life as a Designer, Dreamer, and Disrupter’ by Andre Wright
This past May, I had the pleasure of attending Beyond Fashion Fest in Iowa City. Launched by Iowa native Andre Wright, it was a weekend of fashion, comedy and fun. As a Black woman, witnessing a brother move in his own creative lane was inspirational. I walked away from the festivities thinking, “How did he […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Aliens invade Des Moines, Ethan Hawke commits to the comb-over and other cinematic moments to see in local theaters this month
Hey folks, welcome back to Little Big Screen: On the Big, Big Screen, where film columnist Benjamin McElroy recommends five screenings happening at Iowa’s independent movie theaters. Keep scrolling for the full list of this month’s big screenings.
Posted inCommunity/News
A guide to Iowa nonprofits tackling the biggest issues of our time
“When Americans think of freedom, we usually imagine a contest between a lone individual and a powerful government,” writes Timothy Snyder in his treatise On Tyranny — an Antifa 101 reading assignment, if there ever was one. “This is all well and good. But one element of freedom is the choice of associates, and one […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Des Moines Symphony performs its first work by an Indigenous composer, paired with Dvořák and Chopin
Des Moines Symphony offered another crowd-pleasing performance last month with the second installment of their Masterworks series, Wisdom – Dvořák 6 & Chopin. Their program once again featured a modern piece by a living composer as well as celebrated works from two titans of the Romantic era. Truly a refreshing balance of the old and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Odyssey: Play LV’s board game and read the stories behind the spaces
Pick up a copy of the November issue and turn to page 40 (the centerfold). You can also download a PDF of the Iowa Odyssey game board, or play the game virtually with friends. Game design by Rodney Arthur. Space concepts by Little Village staff. Visual design by Kellan Doolittle. Play-tested by Nolan Petersen and […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Private school parents clash over uncomfortably familiar issues in ‘Eureka Day’ at Riverside Theatre
Jonathan Spector’s 2025 Tony Award-winning Eureka Day, with its sharp humor and painfully familiar questions about privilege, progressivism and public health, has found a lively and incisive staging in Iowa City. Under the direction of Kathleen Johnson, Riverside Theatre’s production embraces the play’s contradictions with a mix of warmth and unease — a balance that, […]
