Good venues can serve as essential third spaces for neighbors to come together and witness, celebrate and commiserate. They’re also easy to take for granted. Each time you buy a ticket and attend a performance, you’re helping to increase the viability of your favorite spaces and keep Iowa’s arts economy strong. These top-notch spots are […]
Arts & Entertainment
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Artist Frank Hansen makes work that’s messy, freaky, angry and silly — whatever he’s feeling that day
“Frank Hansen openings always flirt with lawlessness,” reads a description of the Des Moines artist’s work from 2009. “This year his show will feature a painting that needs to be driven like a car.” At that point, Hansen was well on his way to carving out a niche in the Des Moines art scene. Twenty-five […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Ultranatural’ by Candice Wuehle
Immediately engrossing, Ultranatural by Candice Wuehle (University of Iowa Press) is narrated by Lacey (or Love), whose voice is youthful and vulnerable as we follow her from tween years into young adulthood as she ascends to become the world’s biggest popstar…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: An envelope opened and the About Time Theater Company discovered its latest show alongside the audience
On the night of Wednesday, April 1, 2026, at approximately 7:30 p.m. CDT, myself and about 34 other people saw a production by About Time Theatre of White Rabbit Red Rabbit at the xBk Annex, as performed by Mary Bricker. It was, I imagine, a different show than what a largely different audience saw the […]
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Greg Wheeler and the Poly Mall Cops — ‘Slimephone Surveillance’
Smartphones are everywhere, and you can still catch a glimpse of a flip phone now and then, courtesy of the “dumphone” resurgence. But have you considered the slimephone?
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Soulcage has new music to share and stages to scorch across Iowa this month
In 2023, the band now known as Soulcage was playing the basement of a Des Moines fraternity house. The crowd was expecting some frat party jams. Instead, they got a grungy slap in face that might have left those in attendance bruised and wondering what, or who, they had walked into. Unsurprisingly, Soulcage doesn’t play […]
Posted inCommunity/News
The University of Iowa Powwow is returning to campus, in spite of state’s anti-DEI push
The University of Iowa’s inaugural powwow was held at Iowa City’s Robert A. Lee Recreation Center in April 1990. Organized by the American Indian Student Association — renamed the Native American Student Association (NASA) in 2013 — and the Chicano Indian American Student Union — now the Latino Native American Cultural Center — the powwow […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Complexions proves ballet is as compelling as ever with performances set to Hans Zimmer, U2, ‘Ave Maria’ and more
Complexions Contemporary Ballet graced the stage this past week for the stunning conclusion to Des Moines Performing Arts’ 2025-2026 Dance Series. The program was a celebration of artistry and skill, featuring dancers of varying heights, ethnicities and cultures as well as music of differing eras and genres.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Review: Bob Dylan wasn’t afraid to start a song over to give Hancher a masterful show
Bob Dylan has never been afraid of surprising an audience. On a sunny day in late July at the Newport Folk Festival a young Dylan stood in front of a disconcerted public with a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar backed by a rock band—the very first time the famous folk singer did that.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Worth a Rewatch: Say hello to ‘Scarface’ (1932), a blood-soaked tribute to Al Capone nearly eviscerated by censors
Welcome back to Worth a Rewatch — new reviews and reevaluations of old films featured at Iowa’s nonprofit cinemas. Think of it as a small historical adventure, an investigation of an artifact and perhaps, the way meaning has changed over time. Today we look at Howard Hawk’s 1932 gangster magnum opus Scarface, which the Bijou Film Board will be screening at FilmScene this weekend.
Posted inAlbum Reviews
Album Review: Doc Bullfrog — ‘Like We’re Supposed To’
Like We're Supposed To by Doc Bullfrog If surf music can exist in the landlocked, agricultural haven that is the Midwest, then Doc Bullfrog is the embodiment of Midwest surf. It’s evident that the Iowa City band knows a thing or two about bouncy beats, clean guitar tones and spring reverb, creating their own indie […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
En Español: “Raza Maldita,” a poem in Spanish and English
Nadie decide donde nacer, que manos y piernas tener, con que oídos oír o con que ojos ver Algunos nos enaltece el génesis de la sangre y otros cuantos la esconden, guardando en el fondo las semillas de quienes son y fueron ¿Acaso se sonroja o sufre el halcón, delfín, o escorpión por llevar […]
