Anna Barker hadn’t even made it into her chair in the patio seating area of the downtown Java House for our interview before she posed a question. “Thirteen hundred pages in 92 days? Who does that?” The answer, of course, is that she does — and so do her hundreds of reading companions. The 1,300 […]
Eastern Iowa Arts & Entertainment
Posted inEastern Iowa
Video & Photo Gallery: Longfellow neighbors gather for the 2022 Front Porch Music Festival
One of Iowa City’s tightest-knit neighborhoods came together for an afternoon of local tunes on Sunday, Sept. 25. Performers of all abilities were invited to participate in the seventh annual Front Porch Music Festival — so long as they have a connection to the Longfellow community — making residents’ front porches and yards their stages. […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Iowa City’s Mic Check Poetry Festival to return with a slam in November after ‘phenomenal’ 2021 turnout
Iowa City Poetry’s Mic Check Poetry Festival will return Nov. 11-12 after organizers Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey and Lisa Roberts received what Rainey called a “phenomenal showing” of support and enthusiasm last year. The November festival will be only two days this year instead of three, but it will include expanded offerings and an […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Take a survey, boost local art: The Englert’s Katie Roche on why Johnson County is participating in the Americans for the Arts study for the first time
Roughly every five years, Americans for the Arts, a Washington D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1960, conducts a nationwide impact study on how individual communities are affected economically by the arts programs they foster and support. This year, the sixth of the study, Englert Theatre Development Director Katie Roche made sure that Johnson County would be […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
An experts’ guide to Stanley Museum must-sees (besides ‘Mural’)
Sure, Mural represents a breakthrough, American ascendency in the art world. Yeah, yeah, it has its own documentary film. And sure, the new University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art where it’s housed is gorgeous, sexing up Burlington Street like the Voxman before it. But what else should you look for in the Stanley’s collections? […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Crooked Path Theatre to bring its off-beat productions to Prairie Lights, The James this fall
It can be hard to keep up with the absolute explosion of theater happening in the Corridor. Talent and passion keep sprouting in this fertile Iowan soil, and “so much theater” is an incredibly delightful (and coveted) problem for any town to have. Not new, but positively blossoming this fall is one company you may […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Q&A with musician Delia Beatriz, aka Debit
Delia Beatriz (aka Debit) is a musician who crosses borders: She was born in Mexico and grew up in Texas. She’s a dance music DJ, but her latest album, The Long Count, uses machine learning algorithms to process the sounds of Mayan instruments. She has a Masters in Music Technology from Columbia University, but she’s […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
FilmScene’s Refocus Festival announces slate of features, from a VR documentary to a ‘secret’ animated film
As the start date for single ticket purchases quickly approaches, FilmScene has announced the lineup of films for its inaugural Refocus Film Festival, which runs Oct. 6-9 across Iowa City. (Ticket sales begin Sept. 16; passes are on sale now and range from $65 public/$60 members for a five-show pass to $230/$195 for all access.) […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Englert to screen two films celebrating the Mill — one made at its peak, another since its demolition
For those still mourning the loss of Iowa City’s beloved, iconic venue the Mill, this one’s for you! Come out to the Englert on Friday, Sept. 23 to sit back and reminisce on the venue that impacted so many. There’s going to be a screening of the Last Night at the Mill, a concert film […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
An historic Cedar Rapids theater is becoming its coolest new saloon and music venue
Once on the brink of demolition, a building constructed over 100 years ago is about to be reborn as Cedar Rapids’ newest bar and music venue. First opening as the Ideal Theatre over a century ago, the building at 213 16th Ave SE will start a new chapter of its story, written by its new […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
FilmScene’s long-awaited ReFocus Film Festival is ‘tailormade for a City of Literature’
Iowa City’s literary history casts a long shadow. It’s the first UNESCO City of Literature in the country, home to the Iowa Writers’ Workshop. But next month, Iowa City will enter the film festival world with FilmScene’s long-awaited ReFocus Film Festival, an event dedicated to the relationship between literature and film. Andrew Sherburne, executive director […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
In a tight-knit community, art is ritual
A few years ago, the Englert Theatre and FilmScene initiated a campaign to make Iowa City “the Greatest Small City for the Arts.” And that title is justified. Not only do our local arts organizations bring us incredible performances, but we also boast a highly talented home-grown community of artists and performers. As the fall […]
