Paris in the 1920s was a hub of intellectual and artistic activity, luring artists from all over the world. Many American expats fled their homeland and its morass of economic troubles, institutionalized racism and strict censorship laws to Paris’s rarefied atmosphere, holding out the promise of artistic freedom and intellectual openness. Two influential American painters […]
Art City
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Prairie Lights to host reception for ‘Electric Beach,’ an eye-popping painting series by Thad Kellstadt
Prairie Lights will hold a reception for its current exhibit Electric Beach, featuring paintings by Thad Kellstadt, this Friday, Aug. 15 at 6:30 p.m…
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Art City: Matt Bollinger’s ‘Odd Jobs’ at Prairie Lights’ Cafe
A selection of new works by New York-based painter and collagist, Matt Bollinger, is on view at Prairie Lights’ cafe through Aug. 3. Entitled ‘Odd Jobs,’ Bollinger presents a series of collage-paintings in which each image contains a snippet of a larger storyline. As the title implies, many of the scenes portrayed fall under the description of ‘odd jobs,’ yet the show is not constrained by a single unified narrative concept.
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Art City: ‘Art and Life in Africa’ brings new depth to the UIMA’s permanent collection
When entering a museum or gallery, viewers hold certain expectations for encountering art. The museum is well-suited to display a…
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In the Iowa City art market, local galleries get creative
There’s nothing like going for an afternoon walk and seeing half a dozen art shows within a few short city blocks. To do this in a city like Chicago or New York is a true delight: Galleries sit cheek-by-jowl in tightly knit neighborhoods, and one stroll can wind through engaging and disparate worlds created in […]
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Art City: Unwitting animals offer a new canvas for outsider art
“Mom, can I be in a Coca-Cola commercial?” begs the caption beneath her photo. She wears a red and white bow, the iconic colors of the can she poses next to…
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Art City: A look at the stunning, disparate performances of ‘The Work Between’
The Work Between: Collaborative Performance at Space Place Theater, which ran from Dec. 5-7, 2013, was the outgrowth of a class that brought together artists…
Posted inCommunity/News
Apartment buildings set to replace Hawkeye Court and Hawkeye Drive will have nearly double the rent
With architecture, there’s always a story. And that story usually has something to do with money. The story about Aspire at West Campus begins with…
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Art City: Finding the art of Sharpless auctions
Update: Columnist Russell Jaffe is holding an art sale of his own! Details available here. There are two things to know about Sharpless Auctions when you enter, and they both have to do with art: The first is that you have to be prepared to know how unprepared you are, and the second is that […]
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Artists Sarah Kanouse, John Engelbrecht and Josh MacPhee discuss their collaboration, Exuberant Politics
During Josh MacPhee’s visit to Iowa City last month as part of Exuberant Politics, a year-long celebration of political art and action sponsored by a long list of…
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Art City: Fair Grounds owner has big art dreams
Photos by Rachel Jessen Steve Pernetti is my friend. We met in 2010 when he bought Fair Grounds, the Iowa City vegan/vegetarian bakery and café whose food I loved but manager I couldn’t stand. Since then, Fair Grounds has changed. They serve meat; the dystopian note-scape of passive aggressive Post-Its judgmentally fluttering on everything vanished […]
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Steven Vail Fine Arts joins the local gallery scene
Photos by Brian Prugh Coming on the heels of the closing of Public Space One’s downtown location, the opening of a new gallery is a welcome addition to the Iowa City art scene. Steven Vail Fine Arts will open at 118 E. College St., sharing first-floor space with Velvet Coat and the soon-to-be-opening FilmScene. The […]
