Participants learn to use synthesizers and collaborate with Dieter Mobius recordings during Moog’s interactive workshop during Magic Hour on Saturday, November 6, 2021, in Iowa City, Iowa. These performances have led me to reverence the art world but also, more than others, affirm my belonging to this place. Likewise (although the premise of any work we’re about to enjoy at Jazz Fest is crossing the barricades of Clinton Street, outfitting through the tents of local vendors and congregating along downtown streets or in Pentacrest Park), my highest calling is to theaters with High school bands and groups, Silver Swing Band (our 50+ year old group that performs thanks to Senior Center, UI and West Music programs), and local legends like Saul Lubaroff. Among my most memorable experiences have been the Englert parties at the Corridor Jazz Project performed by my kids and fellow students from the area, as well as the old-fashioned “Festival of Carols” when a host of talents from our community helped us celebrate the season. The collective experience of a distinguished visitor’s art is the essence of a live performance ritual, but the art is often meaningful when overwhelmed by the joy of your friends, neighbors, and children who share their talents with you and others. Wednesday, Ap– Zack Newman / Little Village Arug Aftab performs at Englert Theater on Saturday 9 April 2022. Louisa Caldwell installs her pieces in the foyer of the Huncher. A couple of blocks from the towers, a different summoning is likely to happen as Andrew Sherburne or another FilmScene fan prepares you in a similar way for your access to the magical world of motion picture arts. Welcome to Englert.” Once you enter the century-old performance space and cheerfully greet fellow familiar members of the community, you wait for Katie Roach of Englert to appear on stage to perform a prayer: to affirm the community’s purpose of this non-profit organization, to “bless” your presence through heartfelt thanks, and invoke the art which is about to unfold. But it is necessary to enter this artistic space by crossing the threshold with Kent Smith, elegantly dressed in his beautiful long maroon coat, opening the stage door and saying kindly and respectfully, “Good evening. Granted, for a night in Englert, I’m really looking forward to enjoying the talents of Trombone Shorty, Joan Baez or Paula Poundstone. But ritual experiences can also be more complex. These items can be as simple as settling down at the Ped Mall for a summer concert Friday night or following your habit of visiting your favorite mural during each visit downtown. It is therefore essential that we grow and engage in these ritual elements to experience the arts. And that’s what happens when we get fully into a live show. Entering the ritual requires that we cross the threshold into a specific space and time, which at the same time brings us to our place and lifts us into an extraordinary world. However, despite its repetitive nature, it is very special, even sacred. Whether at a religious service or in a rite of passage (the two kinds of rituals most of us probably know today), the ultimate message is the same: “This is what we respect and value. The recurring patterns of rituals provide us with a coherent framework for enacting two of the most important aspects of human experience: veneration and belonging. But our wonderful world of arts offers us something else essential to our society: rituals. Yes, the shows themselves and the rich selection of venues are key. As the leaves fall, the arts programs available to us continue to grow after the richness of the Summer Arts Festivals.īut what makes Iowa City a “cool” arts community isn’t just the content. #Iowa city jazz festival fullAs the fall season opens before us, we’re seeing all of this in full view – at arts festivals like The Witching Hour, versus a whole host of college arts programs and so much more. Not only do our local arts organizations give us great performances, but we also pride ourselves on a very talented local community of artists and performers. Adria Carpenter/Little VillageĪ few years ago, Englert Theater and FilmScene began a campaign to make Iowa “the largest small city for the arts.” This title is justified. Erica cleans her brushes at the Face Art by Brandi booth at the Southern Neighborhood Association Diversity Market, Saturday, May 28, 2022.
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