Iowa Arts & Culture Newsletter
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It has become a year-end tradition at the Iowa Arts Council to reflect on some of our favorite moments and stories you might have missed over the last 12 months. Our year in review is far from a comprehensive list, but rather it’s a good start to appreciating the talented Iowans, dynamic organizations and creative places that enrich Iowa and its quality of life.
Looking back also reminds us to express gratitude – and show support – for the artists, arts educators and arts organizations where we live. Here are just a few of the experiences they made possible for us in 2024.
David Schmitz , Iowa Arts Council Director ?
Year in Review
Small museums have a big impact. The Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum celebrated its 10th anniversary in November, while the Museum of Danish America in Elk Horn opened the largest U.S. exhibition of Danish ceramics in a generation.
Public art installations unite communities. Art Week Des Moines marked its 10th anniversary in June with a lantern parade featuring large-scale illuminated puppets by Iowa artist Brant Bollman, while Mainframe Studios unveiled Inhale Exhale, a rooftop installation by Jordan Webber. This fall, the Sioux City Art Center dazzled visitors with an enormous outdoor artwork by artist Amanda Browder, who worked with volunteers to collect and stitch together hundreds of donated textiles into a gigantic fabric mural representing the Siouxland area.?
Performing arts education takes a leap forward. Following multi-year campaigns, Ballet Des Moines unveiled its new Campus for Arts and Education this fall, while the Grinnell School of Music officially opened its doors in September. Meanwhile, the Sioux City Symphony and the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake worked toward opening facilities for music enrichment and education. Oskaloosa and the George Daily Community Auditorium brought global acts to Iowa as an Arts Midwest World Fest partner.
Iowa writers and filmmakers claim the spotlight. From the Hollywood film adaptation of Iowa City writer Rachel Yoder's novel debuting at the Refocus Film Festival in October, to Quad Cities-based filmmakers Scott Beck and Bryan Wood's major film release this fall, Iowans told stories that resonated with national audiences. 2024 saw other important Iowa stories told, too, including inspiring documentary films about Iowa poet Caleb Rainey; the history of Manning, Iowa; and the experiences of Iowans in the Vietnam War, produced by Brucemore in Cedar Rapids.
Iowa arts lead a rural renaissance. From the recently opened Art Farm in Northwood and the growth of the Cedar Summerstock Theater in Saint Ansgar, to the residents of Pomeroy rallying to save a beloved live music venue, Iowans showed that the arts are key to thriving small communities.
2025 Governor’s Arts Awards
The Governor’s Arts Awards are a longstanding tradition recognizing Iowans who have made an outstanding contribution to the vitality of the arts in Iowa. Over the decades, the awards have been presented to leading Iowa artists, arts organizations, educators, volunteers and patrons of the arts. Nominations are now being accepted for the 2025 awards. Honorees will be recognized during a ceremony at the Iowa Capitol next year.
Submit a nomination! Deadline January 31, 2025.
2025 Iowa Scholarship for the Arts
The Iowa Scholarship for the Arts supports outstanding high school seniors who excel in the arts and are enrolled in an accredited Iowa College or University pursuing a degree in the arts. Scholarships in the amount of $4,000 are awarded to support 2025-2026 academic year tuition expenses.
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. Top scoring applicants will need to participate in an online interview that will take place on or about April 24, 2025. Please review the Program Guidelines prior to applying.
2025 Regional Arts Forums
Registration is open for seven Regional Arts Forums taking place across Iowa in February and March 2025. This year’s forums align with the Iowa Arts Caucus, which the Iowa Arts Council hosts every four years.
2025 Iowa Fine Arts Education Summit
Call for Proposals
Every other year, Iowa arts educators gather to share ideas and discuss new ways to teach fine art forms, including dance, media arts, music, theater and visual arts, both within and beyond K-12 classrooms.
Fine Arts teachers learn a dance at the Fine Arts Education Summit
The 2025 Iowa Fine Arts Education Summit: Exploring the Creative Processes is set for June 17 at the Des Moines Area Community College campus in Ankeny. The conference will focus on the Iowa Fine Arts Standards and provide a deep dive into the four Artistic Processes: Create, Respond, Perform/Present/Produce and Connect. Participants will leave the Summit with a better understanding of each process and ways in which they can better address each one in their classroom.?
If you'd like to present a relevant 45-minute session, we'd love to hear your ideas.?
领英推荐
New Certified Film Festivals Program
Produce Iowa is proud to announce the opening of a new certification program designed exclusively for Iowa film festivals! Being certified will bring film festivals together in a network of state-recognized events where filmmakers and attendees will know what to expect at the fests. It’s free to apply, and certification is based on staff review of eligibility. Full guidelines can be found here. Film festivals are encouraged to reach out to EJ Philby Burton with any questions.
Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, January 20, 2025 and can be submitted through the Iowa Arts Council SlideRoom portal.
Illinois Film Contest Expands Eligibility to Iowa Filmmakers
The Latest Generation Film Contest, introduced by acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns, invites aspiring Midwest filmmakers ages 14-22 to create short documentaries around the theme "On This Land." This is an extraordinary opportunity for young visionaries to explore and showcase the stories that shape their local communities. In previous years, this opportunity has only been open to Illinois residents, but is now being opened to filmmakers within Iowa as well.
Success Stories
We love to celebrate the successes of Arts & Culture in our Iowa communities! Check out the stories below and cheer along with us. Have a success story that you want to share? Send it to our team!
50 years of Czech and Slovak Culture in Iowa
The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library (NCSML) in Cedar Rapids kicked off its 50th anniversary this summer with the nationally touring exhibition Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau, supported in part by an Inspire Iowa grant from IEDA.?
Now, as part of its “Year of Czech Music,” the museum is presenting two-week long festival called “Czech and Slovak Echoes in the USA” that includes a fashion show, baking workshops and special performances of the music of Anton Dvorak, including a concert in Spillville, where the famed composer was born. The NCSML is part of the Iowa Arts Council’s network of Cultural Leadership Partners.?
Clay for Community in Malvern
Iowa artist Anna Stoysich launched the “Clay for Community” project in Malvern to engage community members through a series of workshops in which participants created a piece of public art out ?of individual clay pieces. Once completed, the art pieces will be assembled and installed along the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. The concept embodies the spirit of the “Wabash Escape” mural the community tragically lost in the devastating downtown fire of 2021 and pays homage to the local wetlands, flora and fauna native to the area.
Accessibility Spotlight
The performing arts present a unique set of accessibility challenges as well as an opportunity to find creative solutions. Check out this inspiring example of work to make live theatre accessible to both D/deaf and hearing audiences.
Within the state of Iowa, Orchestra Iowa is one organization taking steps to make their performances more accessible.
Caitlin Hartman, Senior Director of Patron Engagement, sums it up this way: “We’re always working to improve accessibility – both in hopes of better serving our existing audiences, but also opening the performing arts to new audiences as well. We want anyone and everyone to be comfortable and confident to participate in our programming – it IS for everyone! For performances at the Paramount Theatre, wearable audio devices are available (for free) for deaf and hard of hearing audience members. When we have performances which include narration, scripting, and/or choral works, we often have sign language interpreters present and/or we provide subtitles or supertitles.”
Learn more about Orchestra Iowa’s accessibility efforts on their website.
Looking for ways to make your live performances and events more accessible to D/deaf and Hard of Hearing audiences? Here are some resources to get you started:
Captioning
Assisted listening systems
Sign language interpreters