Iowa City is canceling its annual Fourth of July fireworks display due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “The decision comes in collaboration with the Summer of the Arts, whose annual Iowa City Jazz Festival is held in unison with the City’s fireworks display,” the city said in a statement on Friday. Summer of the Arts has […]
Summer of the Arts
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Downtown Iowa City Arts Showcase: Kevin Burt shows a little love for Summer of the Arts
Award-winning blues musician Kevin Burt discusses his 15-year history with Summer of the Arts in part four of our Downtown Iowa City Arts Showcase series. Summer of the Arts has brought free arts and cultural programing — including the Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa City Jazz Festival, the Friday Night Concert Series and the Soul and […]
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Summer of the Arts announces cancellation of Iowa Arts Fest, other COVID-19 related changes
Iowa City’s Summer of the Arts organization announced a slew of changes to their summer 2020 programming on Friday, most prominent being the cancellation of their flagship festival, the Iowa Arts Festival, scheduled for June 5-7. The Iowa Arts Festival, which has been produced for more than 35 years, regularly brings more than 100 fine […]
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The joy of anticipation and aftermath
As someone easily overwhelmed by crowds and sensory overload (and more so as I age), I can find Iowa City’s wonderful summer festivals a challenge. I have many times enjoyed the tunes, charts and riffs flowing from the stages of the Iowa City Jazz Festival. I have often parked my camp chair on the Pedestrian Mall on Friday night
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Street closures for Iowa Arts Festival announced
Street closures have been announced for the Iowa Arts Festival in downtown Iowa City. The festival doesn’t kick off until Friday at 4:30 p.m., when the Iowa City Carnival Parade starts, but street closures will start on Thursday so crews can start to set up the fair. According to a press release from the city, […]
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Iowa City buses will be free on Friday and Saturday for the first two days of Iowa Arts Festival
On Friday and Saturday, there’ll be no charge for riding Iowa City buses, as the Iowa Arts Festival takes over downtown, the city announced on Monday. Buses will run on their regular schedules, but some stops will change starting on Thursday. The city’s bus hub will move from Washington and Clinton to Court Street between […]
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Rock the Chalk street closures announced
Rock the Chalk 2018 Downtown Iowa City — Friday, Aug. 10 at 10 a.m. The third annual Rock the Chalk will be bringing art to the streets of downtown Iowa City Friday. Literally. Participating artists will start chalking artworks onto Clinton Street starting at 10 a.m. on Friday morning. Live music starts at noon; this […]
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‘Wonder Woman’ will kick off the Free Movie Series for Summer of the Arts
Nonprofit arts organization Summer of the Arts is kicking off one of their five summer programs this weekend. The Free Movie Series will begin with a showing of Wonder Woman on Saturday, June 9 at 9 p.m.
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Joan Osborne, ’90s chanteuse, will perform for Iowa Arts Fest
Iowa Arts Festival: Joan Osborne Downtown Iowa City — Friday, June 1 at 9 p.m. Among an excellently curated set of local gems and national talent, the Iowa Arts Festival’s featured performer for Friday night, June 1 is Joan Osborne, who claimed notoriety with her 1995 song “One of Us.” The biggest single off her […]
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Iowa Arts Festival performers announced
Mainstage performers for the Summer of the Arts’ 2018 Iowa Arts Festival, taking place June 1-3, have been announced, representing both local and national musicians and dancers.
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Remembering Dennis Jones, Iowa City’s sound guy
Those who contribute the most to local music scenes often make the least amount of noise. This was certainly true of the late Dennis Jones, an unassuming sound engineer who could regularly be seen operating the sound board for Iowa City’s Friday Night Concert Series, as well as at hundreds of club shows, benefits and other local events over the past three decades, until his death at the age of 68 on Feb. 9.
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UR Here: Iowa City in August is a tale of two cities
It is the best of times, it is the worst of times: the first half of August in Iowa City. For half a month twice a year (also early January), tumbleweeds blow through our deserted streets. Those of us who are left enjoy Iowa City at its best. Those of us who are left suffer Iowa City at its worst.
Our town is at its worst at this time of year because the life has been sucked out of it. The university’s summer session is over, so even that relatively small summer population of intrepid students — the life-force of so much of Iowa City’s energy —
have headed for the beach, for home, for the mountains, wherever. Their professors have packed in their grade books and skipped town for the only two summer vacation weeks available to them. Even the university’s administrative offices are operating on skeleton crews before the onslaught of the fall semester begins.
