“I have been carrying on a dialogue between the landscape and the female body (based on my own silhouette). I believe this has been a direct result of my having been torn from my homeland (Cuba) during my adolescence. I am overwhelmed by the feeling of having been cast from the womb (nature). My art […]
Iowa City artist
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‘I can rock a baritone’: Transitioning helped Lucy Suarez reinvent herself and flout expectations
When Lucy Suarez decided to transition, the metalhead musician made the call to keep her voice as it was. “Obviously I still kept the low voice,” she said. “I can rock a baritone. … I know where [my voice] naturally resonates and I stick to it.” She studied composition at the University of Northern Iowa, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Eliza, Finn and the art of reinvention
There is this thing that humans — not all of them but, observationally, a sizable majority — do to suffering: They want it to mean something. We want that meaning to make the suffering noble, and we want that noble suffering to reframe that tragedy as beneficial for us. Just watch someone (your humble narrator, […]
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Watch: ‘Is a naked body hurting you?’ Artist Talya Miller brings body positivity, kindness to her digital works
“Kindness is a huge aspect of my work,” Talya Miller, a visual artist in Iowa City, who works in multiple media including book design, said. But not “that fluffy idea of ‘Iowa nice.’” Miller talked to Little Village about the difference between working with digital and traditional art tools, the connection between the written word […]
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Watch: Iowa City portrait artist Heith A. Banowetz seeks to capture the soul in old photographs
Soulful eyes, sensitive hands, old-fashioned facial hair, delicate lines and stippling. These and other, more subtle features make up the distinctive style of self-taught Iowa City artist Heith Banowetz, who crafts portraits using “humble” materials like pen, pencil and charcoal. “I feel like sometimes we have this tendency to feel rushed or pressured into speaking. […]
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Watch: Mark Vollenweider’s mighty pen
“I’ve spent a lot more time thinking about the world I’d like to live in, than the world that we do live in,” Mark Vollenweider told Little Village. During a studio visit, the Iowa City artist talked about discovering his artistic medium, the impact of COVID-19 and politics on his work and how anger can […]
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Local artist and political cartoonist John Martinek is sending his mind traveling during quarantine
While practicing social distancing during the COVID-19 crisis, John Martinek, a local painter, printmaker and drawer (as well as a political cartoonist for Little Village magazine), is turning his artistic gaze from the stresses of the present to his own past experiences. Martinek took his first trip abroad in 1994 when he went to Africa […]
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Artist Eliza Reinhardt recreates famous paintings with her dog while in quarantine
Life imitates art. Art imitates life. And when a painter finds herself sheltered at home with an Australian Shepherd and plenty of pent-up creative energy, art imitates art.
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Sheltering at their parents’ house in Iowa City, the Bassuk sisters are expanding their eclectic jewelry brand — and giving back
From paprika and dog treats to glitter and obscenities, there is almost no limit to what Leela and Maya Bassuk will put into resin. Over Winter Break, the two sisters — both Iowa City West High grads — bought some epoxy resin and started playing around with it, inspired by artsy resin videos on Instagram. […]
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Watch: Artist Hannah Givler ‘collaborates’ with her materials to create architectural sculptures
Iowa City artist Hannah Givler lets the materials around her — including scrap wood, metal and river stones — guide her artistic process. Her work takes on an array of forms and varies in scale from small sculptures to room-sized architectural creations capturing both the simplicity and complexity of her materials. Presented by Artifacts
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#nineposts featuring the art of Juliette Enloe
#nineposts is a Little Village project featuring the work of area creators through the @littlevillagemag Instagram feed. This week we’ll be featuring work from our second #nineposts artist, Juliette Enloe. Juliette, where does your appreciation for creation stem from? I’ve been an artist my whole life but I picked up painting about 3 years ago […]
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Studio Visit: Ceramacist Shumpei Yamaki fires his Anagama kiln (video)
Presented by Artifacts Just a couple of times each year, Shumpei Yamaki lights up his Anagama kiln for 4-5 days of continuous firing. The technique gives each individual piece its own unique, unpredictable finish. Yamaki is currently a resident artist at Scattergood Friends School and a member of the studio art faculty at Grinnell College. […]
