On a magical summer evening in 1986, after a fiery performance by the Cult, the sun refused to set. The band’s shows radiated a mystical quality that could realign heavenly bodies, though this anomaly of nature occurred because Finland’s Provinssirock Festival took place north of the Arctic Circle. “You have this strange situation where it […]
Des Moines events
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Jane Smiley’s Iowa-set classic ‘A Thousand Acres’ is adapted to the stage for Des Moines Metro Opera’s 50th
When an arts organization celebrates 50 years of sharing wonderful work with enraptured audiences, the time is right to do something exceptional. The question, of course, is what that something should be. For the Des Moines Metro Opera, the answer in part turned out to be adapting Iowa Writers’ Workshop alum Jane Smiley’s Pulitzer Prize […]
Posted inCentral Iowa, Central Iowa Arts & Entertainment, Central Iowa Community/News
Dive into Juneteenth celebrations in central Iowa
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Last year, on March 22, 2021, Des Moines City Manager Scott Sanders announced Juneteenth as an official city holiday. “We hope by commemorating this date,” he said at the time, “we can better illustrate the significance of Juneteenth and generate greater recognition throughout our community and the state”. Later that year, President Joe Biden […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Central Iowa celebrates Cinco de Mayo!
It’s Cinco de Mayo, a day to celebrate — but not, as you might have heard, Mexico’s independence day. Mexico’s Independence Day is Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of a vastly outnumbered Mexican army over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. (France was trying to crush a revolt against […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Mother’s Day ideas in Central Iowa, from tulips to tarot reads
The modern U.S. holiday of Mother’s Day has roots in the pre-Civil War period. West Virginia woman Ann Reeves Jarvis created what she called Mother’s Day Work Clubs to teach mothers how to care for their children. Jarvis also organized a Mother’s Friendship Day in 1868 to initiate a settlement between the Union and Confederate […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Des Moines artist Brittany Brooke Crow rips and rearranges self-portraits to explore form and vulnerability
For her new new exhibition, artist Brittany Brooke Crow turned her camera on herself, tearing photos printed on Hahnemühle Pearl paper and rearranging the pieces. Test Stripping — on display through May 5 at The LiFT bar in Des Moines’ Court Avenue District — depicts Crow’s battles with her fear of intimacy and vulnerability by […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
Five questions with Amanda Montell, podcast host and author of ‘Cultish’
Author Amanda Montell has never been to the Midwest before. But she’s rectifying that with a visit to the Des Moines Public Library on April 21 to talk about her 2021 release, Cultish: The Language Of Fanatacism. The event begins at 7 p.m., and is a part of the 2022 Authors Visiting in Des Moines […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Ballet Des Moines tackles hard science with light movement in one-night-only show ‘Of Gravity and Light’
Ballet Des Moines is giving audiences a science lesson through their one-night-only production Of Gravity and Light, Friday at the Des Moines Civic Center. Of Gravity and Light is a contemporary ballet production using science-inspired movement to depict gravity, push-pull feelings, “the terrible forces of the sun,” planetary orbit and rotation, and other spaced-out phenomena. […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘The bestselling show happens to be female-produced’: Comedian Coral Thede brings a kick-ass time to Teehee’s every month
Coral Thede’s house is as bright and welcoming as she is. The walls of her office space are a galaxy of pink, gold and blue. They provide a gentle background for the instruments, costumes and books strewn about in the signature chaos of a creative person. Her kitchen, familiar to those who tune into her […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with Rainbow Kitten Surprise, who just sold out Hoyt Sherman Place
After meeting at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, Rainbow Kitten Surprise (RKS to fans) has gone from recording music in their dorm rooms to becoming a festival favorite. In 2022, they are embarking on their first national tour since the start of the pandemic, 50 shows of which are already sold out. For […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Five questions with Mabel Gladly of Chicago disco-pop group Glad Rags
It’s no secret that the Windy City is home to many great indie artists of all genres. And being only five hours away, Des Moines gets to experience a lot of those artists when they hit the road. That’s the case with Glad Rags, a self-described art-pop collaboration of some of Chicago’s top musicians. The […]
Posted inCentral Iowa
‘Dance does everything’: Gateway Dance Theatre celebrates 50 years in Des Moines with Black history showcase
This year marks 50 years of education, training and performance for Gateway Dance Theatre, a Des Moines company fusing African-American, Caribbean, Asian, Indian and other international music and dance traditions, in addition to drama, science, visual arts and other disciplines. Gateway will celebrate all year long, starting on Feb. 26 with a Black History showcase, […]
