Review: A cozy costume party inside a fever dream, Dada Prom brought surreal fun and funds to Public Space One

On a cold, snowy Saturday night in Iowa City, around 150 costumed art-lovers gathered at the historic Close House mansion for Public Space One’s Dada Prom. Despite the total snow accumulation topping off at around five inches, PS1 announced that the fourth annual fundraiser was the “most successful Dada Prom by far.”

Dada Prom also serves as the kick-off to PS1’s Surreal House installation, which sees the first floor of the Close House transformed by local artists. The public has the opportunity to view the installations during PS1’s open hours and in special events throughout December.

Costumes at this year’s Dada Prom included an embodied Rene Magritte painting, a sweater decorated with items found on the ground in Iowa City, a trout with a fully detachable head, giant hands and eyeballs and much more. Guests were met with surprises at every turn, often featuring sequins, googly eyes, bright colors and macabre chaos.

Thirty or so artists filled three stories of the Close House mansion with surrealist art. Caviar was served around a fire in the snowstorm, while tarot readings were dispensed beneath a celebration of Lisa Frank’s aesthetic. One room was dedicated to a lovingly crafted Slinky drop.

Made possible by dedicated volunteers, it was a night filled with absurdist joy, situating the horrors of the past, present and future amidst the irrationality of capitalism, imperialism, wage violence, marketing and the status quo.

The University of Iowa arguably holds the “most comprehensive” collection of Dada art internationally, including a wealth of zines. Dada emerged in the early 20th century in response to the rise of futurism post-World War I, in order to critique rapidly expanding class disparities.

PS1 archives and creates space for transformative art, music and poetry, and the annual Dada Prom fundraiser helps to make these efforts possible. There’s still a chance to get your absurdist on, as PS1 is holding a special Surreal House Family Day on Saturday, Dec. 13. Dada Prom is sure to return for its fifth annual event in December 2026, snow or shine.

Surreal House Family Day!