Public Space One to present first virtual 24-hour Art-A-Thon
Parker Jones, Arts Reporter
September 15, 2020
For its inaugural “Art-A-Thon,” Public Space One is gearing up to entertain audiences with a wide range of artistic talent — for 24 hours straight. With an army of 40 different artists ready to entertain and share their work, the event will take place from noon Sept. 19 to noon Sept. 20, i...
Hancher starts season with Step Afrika! virtual dance performance
Tatiana Plowman, Arts Reporter
September 7, 2020
An energetic, traditional African-American dance company takes the stage. They perform with immense passion and bring stories to life. Audiences are easily transported into the world they have created. However, this time they will be immersed through a computer screen. The world premiere of St...
Open Air Media Festival to illuminate Iowa City
Josie Fischels, Arts Editor
August 27, 2020
Over the weekend, the walls of buildings throughout Iowa City will become canvases for projected artwork. Public Space One’s very first Open Air Media Festival will light up different areas of the city from 8:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The free, bike-friendly event invite...
Two months after original performance date, Shakespeare in the Park goes virtual
Madison Lotenschtein, Arts Editor
August 5, 2020
In Lower City Park, there stands a miniature, Elizabethan-style amphitheater, which has served as an outdoor stage for Riverside Theater’s free “Shakespeare in the Park” performances since 2000. But just as Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre shut down as the Bubonic Plague raged through Europe, COVID...
COVID-19 brings back vintage drive-in movie experience
Kathryn Raver, Arts Reporter
August 4, 2020
Since 2005, moviegoers have sprawled out across the Pentacrest lawn every summer to watch a film projected in front of MacBride Hall. This year, the Summer of the Arts — which hosts their Free Movie Series every summer at the Pentacrest — had to reinvent their tradition because of the COVID-19 pande...
FilmScene to host outdoor film series coming to Northside
Madison Lotenschtein, Arts Editor
July 30, 2020
While the act of sitting inside a cool, dark theater may be excluded from 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a new option for local moviegoers has arrived: free, outdoor, socially distant movies, provided by a partnership between FilmScene and the Iowa City Downtown District. The five-week serie...
Virtual Iowa City Jazz Festival to showcase local and national performers
Jenna Post, Arts Reporter
July 2, 2020
For its 29th year, the Iowa City Jazz Festival — organized by the Summer of the Arts — will be held in a virtual format because of the COVID-19 pandemic, from July 3-5. The switch to online includes some aspects of the classic version and some new inclusions. “It’s kind of a combination of th...
MusicIC Festival cancels in-person programming
Naomi Hofferber, Arts & Culture Reporter
May 6, 2020
The MusicIC Festival, coming up on its 10th anniversary, has officially cancelled in-person programming for this June, according to a press release by the UNESCO City of Literature. The festival was originally scheduled for June 18-20. The programming planned for this summer will instead take ...
Classics Department goes digital, moving spring Homerathon online
Roxanna Barbulescu, Arts Reporter
April 29, 2020
Last year, students and members of the University of Iowa community gathered on the T. Anne Cleary walkway to listen to volunteers read The Iliad. Their reading took over 24 hours. The event, known as the Homerathon, has been held by the UI Classics Department and Eta Sigma Phi Honorary Society a...
Iowa City Pride festival canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic
Naomi Hofferber, Senior Reporter
April 20, 2020
The annual Iowa City Pride parade and festival for LGBTQ community members and allies have been canceled amid COVID-19 uncertainties and in efforts to combat the risk of a large-scale gathering, Iowa City Pride shared Monday. Originally set for June 19-20, the celebration this year was set to be...
New Mission Creek dates and Refocus Film Festival to share September weekend
Josie Fischels and Madison Lotenschtein
April 4, 2020
Downtown Iowa City will once again be bursting with artistic life this fall with the rescheduled 2020 Mission Creek Festival and FilmScene’s newly launched Refocus Film Festival. Both events will share the same weekend in September, according to a joint press release by John Schickedanz, the...
Mission Creek Underground showcases filmed performances during COVID-19 pandemic
Megan Conroy, Arts Reporter
April 2, 2020
Today would have been the third day of the 15th anniversary Mission Creek Festival. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival was postponed on March 12, but the Englert Theater staff didn’t leave it at that — instead organizing a virtual mini-festival to hold the community over until the reschedu...