Des Moines Poetry Slam is closing out the year with a December slam at Fox Brewing on Tuesday. Poets wishing to compete must perform three original pieces. Sign-up starts at 6:30 p.m., and performances begin at 7. Those who do not wish to compete but would still like to try out some material onstage may […]
Central Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inCommunity/News
Des Moines’ historic Varsity Cinema reopening after four-year, $5 million renovation project
The Varsity Cinema near Drake University is reopening its doors to the community after being closed for four years. The historic Des Moines theater features “a variety of programming including prestige new releases, the best of art house & international, curated repertory series and classics, upscale genre and late-night movies, kids and family series” according […]
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Central Iowa! Santa Run | Jinnouchi Power’s Album Release | A Christmas Carol
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium There’s a weekend filled with merry just waiting for you! From ‘A Christmas Carol’ to the Santa Run to the Peppermint Trail, winter fun is beckoning. Or, for fun without the seasonal import, you can catch a performance of ‘Cinderella’ that will […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Basi Affia and other Black Iowa creators developing sci-fi ‘motion comic’
Afrofuturistic comic author Basi Affia is back with more intergalactic Black love in his new motion comic Lost With All Hands . Its release moves the Des Moines artist also known as Aniekan White closer to his dreams of animation. “This is just me kind of testing out the waters, learning the system,” he said. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with Jinnouchi Power songwriter Patrick MacCready ahead of the band’s long-awaited album release party
After working on their newest album, Kaleidocoi, for close to eight years, Des Moines supergroup Jinnouchi Power is hosting an album release event at xBk on Dec. 9 to celebrate its release. The 11-track record will be streamable on all platforms on the same day. Little Village caught up with JP’s lead songwriter, Patrick MacCready, […]
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Central Iowa! Mainframe Open Studios | Dreamwell | Dog Boyz
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium With a long weekend coming up, there’s plenty of time to rest, relax AND get out on the town for some entertainment! Traditional December holiday festivities kick off this weekend, so take advantage of Small Business Saturday for your last chance to […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with: Iowa poet Champagne Harrington, who raises shit talk to an art form
Des Moines’ own Champagne Harrington learned from a young age that she had a voice. That voice has since grown in strength, putting words to her pain from losing a childhood friend, being adopted, relationships and more. But through it all, she now knows who she is, the talent she has, and where both of […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Contact Buzz: ArtForce Iowa gives immigrant and refugee kids the tools to make art, bridge cultural gaps
Don’t let this organization’s generic mission statement — “Creating opportunities for youth to transform through art” — deceive you. Like paints and brushes, unless they’re in the hands of the right person, such a statement remains passive. ArtForce Iowa truly leverages its raison d’être to transform the lives of their young participants. Launched in 2013 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Please touch the artwork at Des Moines Art Center’s interactive new exhibit
Touch is widely considered to be the most intimate of the five senses, one that has been highly politicized and rationed through the COVID-19 pandemic. For a long time, the general public wasn’t able to be physically caring with many of their loved ones, regardless of the need: a hug, a backrub, a kiss, sitting […]
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Central Iowa! Duma | Green Gala | Abigail Washburn and Wu Fei in Concert
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium The weather’s scheduled to get colder, but things are heating up around town! There’s fairs and markets to help you kick off your holiday shopping, conversations to engage you in your community and an embarrassment of opportunities to enjoy comedy and music. […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
City of Clive accepting submissions for Art Along the Trail 2023
The Greenbelt Trail is Clive’s crown jewel: a wooded bike trail that connects neighborhoods, playgrounds and natural spaces throughout the city. And while the Greenbelt Trail is beautiful in its own right, the City of Clive also wants to use it to showcase visual art through the Art Along the Trail program. 2023 will be […]
Posted inWeekender
Weekender Central Iowa! Prism Tabletop Club | Magdalena Bay | Stand Atlantic
READ THE LATEST | SUPPORT LITTLE VILLAGE | SHOP PERKS THE WEEKENDER Your weekly editor-curated arts compendium Take in a play, laugh the night away with some stand-up, enjoy some world-class jazz or take a stand for reproductive rights! So many opportunities to soothe your soul in DSM this weekend. Top pick? Head to the Slow Down for the […]
