It was hard to find time to chat with television personality Danielle Colby, and that’s expected. While most of us know her as an American Pickers cast member, Colby’s added a new role that’s filling her schedule: burlesque archivist. Davenport residents can see the fruits of Colby’s labor at the Ecdysiast Arts Museum, located at […]
Arts & Entertainment
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Wake Up Iowa Coffee turns their spare room into Des Moines’ newest art gallery
Odds are that any coffee-bearing establishment you wander into will have art on its walls. There’s an equal chance that those artworks, hung above half-and-half stations and study spaces, are the creations of a local or small artist. So it’s no surprise that Wake Up Iowa Coffee at 3605 Douglas Ave in Des Moines would […]
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Album Review: Bouquet — ‘Feel in Color’
Feel In Color by Bouquet Do you know what it’s like to “feel in color?” That’s the question on the minds of five-piece Des Moines band Bouquet on their latest EP. Across seven tracks, emotions are laid bare, bloody, jagged and raw, while still being hypnotically tender. Across platforms, the band describes itself as “emotional […]
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Beth M. Howard’s ‘Pieowa’ is the taste-good, feel-good film of the year
It is the first weekend of the Iowa State Fair, and Beth M. Howard is still thinking about pie. “I’ve tried to get away from pie a couple of times,” she said, “and I just keep getting pulled back. I’ve surrendered.” Howard has made a career off the pastry, first by writing a memoir about […]
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This weekend in Iowa: Bomb Shelter comedy, Peelander-Z and festivals galore
Established 2001 | Always free! From songwriting and horror lit festivals to comedy showcases, there is a lot to do this first weekend of September. The Stanley Museum of Art kicks off its exhibition of Hayward Oubre with an opening reception Thursday night. The Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids is hosting Awfully Folkin’ […]
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Does your book break the mold? Is it growing mold? Iowa’s new One of Us horror fest accepts you!
Filthy Loot, a small boutique literary press based in Ames, specializes in what founding editor Ira Rat calls “misfit fictions.” The books published by Filthy Loot push boundaries. “I found that a lot of the writers I like were getting ignored because they didn’t fit into a mold,” Rat said in a phone interview. An […]
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Stanley Museum debuts exhibition of work by Hayward Oubre, a trailblazing UI art student and HBCU instructor
This fall, the University of Iowa will welcome home the work of Hayward Oubre, whose career was as disciplined and deliberate as the artist that shaped it. “Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity,” on display now through Dec. 7, brings together a collection of sculptures, paintings and prints in the first comprehensive solo exhibition of his work. […]
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Des Moines welcomes back a now-classic, Kurosawa arrives in Iowa City (in 4K), PTA’s first action flick drops and more screenings 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.
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‘What better place than Iowa City’ for a songwriting festival? Three days of shows, talks begin Thursday
In it’s first edition, the Festival is meant to “elevate the timeless craft of songwriting by blending world-class live performances with educational opportunities and community engagement,” as announced by the organizing team at the Englert Theatre.
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Little Big Screen: ‘Jackie’ and other streaming movies dressed in Des Moines-born designer Halston
Halston, the designer who defined disco fashion as much as Donna Summer did its sound, was born, of all places, in Des Moines. Ninety-one years ago in August, Halston won the title of “Healthiest City Boy” at the Iowa State Fair. He was 2 years old, but the dude did grow up to be a […]
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This weekend in Iowa: Goose at Hancher, the Iowa Music Awards hit the road
Established 2001 | Always free! Experts might call our recent weather a “false fall” but it’s real to us, dammit! Whatever it’s called, enjoy the cooler temps during the events in our Weekender. Jam band rockers Goose are at Hancher for a free outdoor concert tonight. Japanese art-rock trio TsuShiMaMiRe hit up two Iowa venues […]
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‘Waitress,’ ‘Witch’ and ‘The SpongeBob Musical’ rack up honors at the Cloris Awards in Des Moines
Creepy, bubbly, romantic, epic — the past year of Des Moines theater productions offered something for every mood. On Sunday, some of the actors, behind-the-scenes crew and theater companies that brought these shows to life were honored with glass plaques at the 2025 Cloris Awards ceremony. Hoyt Sherman Place hosted the 10th annual local theater […]
