The ICCA Board is seeking feedback from its members and others in the arts and culture realm to determine the validity of the organization as we all work to overcome the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Please click here to take our survey.

Power of the Purse Plus is the signature United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties’ annual fundraising event supporting 30 local partner agencies and community initiatives.  While COVID-19 has increased the need for more resources to help people in our community, it has also made it impossible to hold an in-person fundraiser. So … Power of the Purse Plus 2020 is going virtual!  With a nod to the need to mask up, the theme this year is Cover Up and Carry On!  Thanks to the support of our lead sponsor, GreenState Credit Union, the virtual auction opens at 12 Noon on Thursday, October 22, 2020 and closes the following Thursday, October 29^th at 6:55 PM. Guests can view, bid on, and have the option to “Buy Now” amazing auction items including:

• Cover Up (Quilted Items) – Beautiful quilted items are ready to help you Cover Up!
• Carry On (Purses) –  New and gently used purses for you to Carry On!
• Specialty Items – Wine, themed gift baskets, and more! Indulge yourself, and/or your friends, with anything from chocolates to a good book to earrings in honor of Ruth Bader Ginsberg!

 

Guests can also purchase:

• To Go (Party Row) – Carry Out options are for taking the party to a location of your choosing! Parties range from supplies to make a holiday centerpiece to a Lucky Duck Dinner for Two.
• Surprise Me Gifts – Mystery gifts, valued up to $475, will all be available for only $50!
• Raffle Tickets — Five wonderful quilted items are up for raffle!  Raffle tickets are priced at $10/ticket | 3 tickets for $25 | 7 tickets for $50.  Drawings for each of the raffle items will be conducted during our Virtual Program—You don’t need to be present to win – but if you do win, it would be a lot of fun to be there!
• Purse with a Purpose—Make a donation to provide local women in need with a purse filled with useful items

 

And with each $40 event ticket guests will receive:

• The ability to bid on and/or purchase items and/or raffle tickets.
• One free entry in a Special drawing for an original Louise Rauh bowl!
• A Goody Bag (valued at $30) – including desserts, wine, face mask & $20 worth of gift certificates to local vendors!
• $10 donation to United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties.

Ticket holders will then join in for the culminating 2020 Power of the Purse Plus live event beginning at 7 PM on Thursday, October 29^th with event Emcee-Anna Moyers Stone UWJWC 2020-21 Campaign Co-Chair. United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties would like to thank the sponsors of Power of the Purse Plus: GreenState Credit Union, KCRG-TV9 Show You Care, Bread Garden Market, EcoCare Supply, Louise Rauh Studio, Iowa Artisans Gallery, Textiles, & The Women of Edward Jones.

To purchase your ticket for the 2020 Power of the Purse Plus, visit UnitedWayJWC.org/Power-Purse-2020 or call the United Way of Johnson and Washington Counties office at (319)338-7823.

 

About United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties

Founded in 1919, United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties has just celebrated its 100^th year as the go-to-place for social impact. United Way’s nonprofits, businesses, donors, and volunteers partner to continuously provide positive, measurable changes in our community. Looking for additional ways to support Johnson & Washington Counties? Visit their Volunteer Center, make an undesignated financial gift of support to United Way at UnitedWayJWC.org or call United Way of Johnson & Washington Counties at (319) 338-7823.  Connect with United Way on social media at Twitter @ UWayJWC or on Facebook @UnitedWayofJohnson&WashingtonCounties.

For photos and more information, please contact: Trisha Smith, Vice President of Development & Marketing at Trisha.Smith@UnitedWayJWC.org c:(319)270-4827.

The International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa congratulates its alumnae Anja KAMPMANN and Pilar QUINTANA, alongside their translators Anne POSTEN and Lisa DILLMAN, for placing as two of the five finalists in the National Book Award for Translated Literature category of the 2020 National Book Award competition of the National Book Foundation.

 

Anja KAMPMANN, who was a Max Kade Fellow in the 2010 IWP Fall Residency, is a poet and critic based in Leipzig, Germany. High as the Waters Rise, Anne Posten’s translation from the German of Kampmann’s widely-awarded debut novel Wie hoch die Wasser steigen, was published this year by Catapult, and is a National Book Award Finalists for Translated Literature.

 

The Colombian novelist Pilar QUINTANA, whose participation in the 2011 IWP Fall Residency was funded by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State, is the author of three previous novels. The Spanish-language original, La Perra (2017) won her several national awards in Colombia; Lisa Dillman’s translation, The Bitch, was published by World Editions in 2020 and is a National Book Award Finalists for Translated Literature. Since 2019, Quintana has collaborated with the IWP as a mentor in the IWP’s Women’s Creative Mentorship project, which seeks to support and promote young female writers in Latin America and Africa.

 

Both novelists and their translators will participate in a panel conversation at the online Iowa City Book Festival on October 10, 2020, which can be enjoyed online for free worldwide:

Since 1967, the International Writing Program (IWP) at The University of Iowa has hosted more than 1,500 writers from more than 150 countries, connecting well-established writers from around the globe, introducing American writers to other cultures through reading tours, publishing books and journals, pursuing cultural diplomacy, and organizing tours, conferences, and other literary and intercultural events around the world. Major support for IWP programming is provided by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and The University of Iowa.

The Museum Store at the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library was recently named the 2020 National Store of the Year by the Museum Store Association (MSA).

The MSA introduced this honor in 2018. The award is about advocacy and recognizes the unique qualities and individual characteristics of museum stores and the professionals who create them.

 

The MSA Board determines the store of the year from monthly winners. The NCSML Museum Store was recognized as MSA’s Store of the Month in October of 2019. A year later, the Store recognizes its 2020 Store of the Year honor with a month-long celebration that includes special promotions, exclusive packages, and virtual events.

•   Kelly Jones of Wraptillion Modern Industrial Jewelry will host a Design on Demand YouTube event including a signature design by Alisabeth Von Pressley! Beginning October 7, visit the NCSML’s YouTube page at www.youtube.com/user/CzechSlovakMuseum to watch how the jewelry is made, then order your custom design.
• Local author Dave Rasdal will join us for our second socially distant book signing from 5 to 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28. Rasdal is the author of “Night Beat,” a murder mystery novel set in the fictitious town of Cedar City, Iowa. Preorder your book package at the Store or online. A sneak peek of Rasdal reading from his novel will be available on the NCSML’s YouTube channel on October 14.
• A second signing will be happening on October 28, too – an ornament signing! Master Folk Artist Marj Nejdl will sign her 2020 limited edition Christmas ornament from 5 to 7 p.m. in our Grand Hall.

 

We’ve created several Celebration Packages filled with Museum Store goodies. With each package purchase, buyers will be entered into a raffle for great store merchandise!

 

“The goal of the Museum Store is to create a complete experience for visitors that makes a lasting impact,” Director of the Museum Store Sarah Jane Wick said. “With custom products and interactive displays within the store, we support the NCSML’s mission while extending the visitor’s connection to the Museum by providing a way to take a piece of it home with them.”

 

Visit the Museum Store website at store.ncsml.org for more information about the National Store of the Year celebration.

 

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National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, preserves, presents, and transcends unique stories of Czech and Slovak history and culture through innovative experiences and active engagement to reach cross-cultural audiences locally, nationally, and internationally. The NCSML is an innovative leader in lifelong learning, community building, and cultural connections. We encourage self-discovery for all ages so that the stories of freedom, identity, family, and community will live on for future generations. For more information, visit www.ncsml.org or call (319) 362-8500.

 

The Museum Store Association

The Museum Store Association is dedicated to advancing the nonprofit retail industry and the professionals engaged in it. Through advocacy, education, and collaboration, MSA provides the tools and community to help cultural institutions, vendor members, and their commercial partners to expand the visitor’s experience, enabling them to take a piece of that experience home.

Public Space One is pleased to announce its October 2020 gallery exhibition, Dancing For Good, by Hard Stop (a transatlantic art duo composed of Davin Watne & Dawn Woolley). The exhibition will run from Oct. 2 through Nov. 3 (and the US election), on site at Public Space One (229 N. Gilbert St. Iowa City, IA).

 

The exhibition comprises two pieces. The most noticeable: 2 Inflatable Air-dancers, 2020, are located on the front lawn of the PS1 house and will be hard to miss. Air-dancers assume the form of the popular promotional tool for retail outlets, comically flapping around to draw the attention of passersby and beckon them towards the products or services that they promote. These Air-dancers are emblazoned with a national call to work together and turn the page on a difficult time. They flap pathetically, yet with hope, outside the gallery, creating a conflicting feeling of political possibility and potential absurdity.

 

Exercise Your Rights is a two-channel video installation (22min) that will play on loop in the gallery window (accessible outside, during gallery hours, from the front porch of PS1). This work is a tongue-in-cheek exercise video demonstrating a series of exercises dutifully carried out over a Zoom call between the UK and the US, to “evoke a positive experience in electoral democracy.” (including Trust Falls, depicted here).

 

Dates & hours on view:

Oct 2-Nov 3, 2020

    Wed     4-7p

    Thu    4-7p

    Fri     4-7p

    Sun    1-3p

 

Livestream (virtual reception): A closing reception and interview via Instagram live with the artists toward the end of Oct. Date and time TBA. Check the PS1 website (publicspaceone.com) or Instagram (@p_s_won) for updates.

 

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

 

Hard Stop:

Davin Watne and Dawn Woolley work collaboratively, under the name Hard Stop, to produce art interventions that question the information we receive and notions of truth in contemporary society. Drawing from current affairs in the UK and US, they examine the rhetoric of mass-media and through an exchange of images & ideas explore how images communicate, persuade, and seduce.

 

Biographies

Dawn Woolley is an artist and research fellow at Leeds Arts University. Her practice encompasses photography, video, installation and performance. She uses photographs of objects and people to question issues of artificiality and idealisation. Her research examines the relation between people and objects, and the impact that images have as producers and disseminators of social values.

Woolley completed an MA in Photography (2008) and PhD by project in Fine Art (2017) at the Royal College of Art. Recent exhibitions include; “Self/Selfie” Ballarat International Foto Biennale, Australia (2017), “Le Féminin” Circulation(s), Arles (2017), “From Selfie to Self-Expression” Saatchi Gallery, London (2017) and “Basically. Forever” Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography (2014). Solo exhibitions include; “Consumed: Stilled Lives” Blyth Gallery, London (2018), Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2018), Ruskin Gallery, Cambridge (2017), and Dyson Gallery, London (2016); “Visual Pleasure”, Hippolyte Photography Gallery, Helsinki, Finland (2013), Vilniaus Fotografijos Galerija, Lithuania (2012) and Ffotogallery, Cardiff (2011). Her publication Consuming the Body: Capitalism, Social Media and Commodification will be published by I. B. Tauris in 2019.

www.dawnwoolley.com

 

Davin Watne is interested in the aesthetics of power, authority and desire as constructed by governing systems. This awareness pushes him to develop visual means of resistance. He communicates images and experiences that are visceral and symbolic in nature, ultimately creating new visual lexicons that combat the prevailing modes of signification.

 

Watne is based in Kansas City with an established record of professional achievement. He received his BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute in 1994 and his MFA at Maryland Institute College of Art in 2013. He has been awarded the Charlotte Street Foundation Award, ArtsKC Inspiration Grant, Avenue of Arts Municipal Arts Grant, Art in the Loop Public Arts Grant and is a former resident of the Studios Inc. Residency Program. Davin is a full-time lecturer  at University of Missouri Kansas City, where he teaches Painting and Drawing. Davin is also the head curator and director of the UMKC Gallery of Art.

www.davinwatne.com

UI Department of Theatre Arts opens the mainstage season with a series of 10-minute plays by UI alumni

Iowa City, Iowa – The University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts has reimagined its Centennial mainstage season and will open with a virtual performance of 10-minute plays entitled 6 by 6: Collected Perspectives on Social Justice on Saturday, October 10 at 8:00 p.m. CST.

 

As we began developing a new approach to the season, the department was dedicated to finding opportunities to elevate diverse voices, create space for dialogue about race, and to celebrate our BIPOC alumni who have been part of the Iowa community. Works were commissioned by five black alumni playwrights who were asked to provide perspectives on social justice. These plays were written to be performed by one to three actors, with some degree of social distancing, and presented to a virtual audience.

 

A link to view the virtual performance will be made available on the Department of Theatre Arts website on the evening of October 10.

 

The following plays will be presented:

A Refugee in Detroit

By Keith Josef Adkins

Directed by Michael Kachingwe

When a mysterious box is delivered to a newly opened cafe, the stakes instantly change and become indistinguishable between paranoia and naivety for the new refugees in Detroit.

 

Princeton Junction

By Kim Euell

Directed by Britny Horton

Three strangers are forced to examine their perspectives on race and politics during one fateful train ride on the New Jersey Transit.

 

The Honey War

By Micah Ariel James

Directed by Octavius Lanier

The Honey War was a territorial dispute between Missouri and what was then (in 1839) Iowa Territory. Nobody died. Nobody even got hurt. But they called it a war. This is not exactly about that.

 

#Masks

By Anton C. Jones

Directed by Steven Willis

A compilation of scenes centered on a small college’s return to campus during COVID, #Masks explores the depths of social performance and what our “masks” reveal and hide.

 

Into the Night

By Levy Lee Simon

Directed by Mary Beth Easley

A New York cop is on a mission for justice, only to find out that justice has different meanings.

 

If you are interested in speaking with the individuals involved in this series, please feel free to contact the following:

• Keith Josef Adkins, playwright of A Refugee in Detroit, keithjosefadkins@gmail.com
• Kim Euell, playwright of Princeton Junction, kyeplaywright@msn.com (Kim prefers to only speak about her work, Princeton Junction)
• Levy Lee Simon, playwright of Into the Night, jazzlion12@gmail.com
• Micah Ariel James, playwright of The Honey War, micaharieljames@gmail.com
• Michael Kachingwe, director of A Refugee in Detroit, mtkachingwe@cpp.edu
• Britny Horton, director of Princeton Junction, cast member of A Refugee in Detroit, britny-horton@uiowa.edu (Britny requests that questions be related to the productions she is involved in and their relevance)
• Octavius Lanier, director of The Honey War, cast member of Into the Night, octavius-lanier@uiowa.edu (Octavius requests that questions be related to the productions he is involved in and their relevance)

 

The department has also created a Virtual Lobby space for our audiences to visit in advance of our performances to learn more about the productions and to celebrate the work of our students and faculty.

 

6 by 6 is part of the series Art and the Pursuit of Justice. Click here for a complete listing of other events in the series.

 

For those who are unable to join on opening night, all of the department’s performances from the fall 2020 season will be available on the Theatre Arts YouTube channel through December 15, 2020.

 

Individuals with disabilities are encouraged to attend all University of Iowa-sponsored events. If you are a person with a disability who requires a reasonable accommodation in order to participate in this program, please contact the Department of Theatre Arts in advance at 319.335.2700.

*****************************

The mission of the Department of Theatre Arts is to sustain a world-class theatre arts program where we develop new work and new artists through a creative, collaborative process. With respect for the great global traditions, we push the boundaries of theatre, using sophisticated tools and technologies. Provide space for diversity and to foster social responsibility and change. Nurture student artists and their work, prepare graduates for professional opportunities, support faculty as professional artists and scholars, and engage, delight, and challenge audiences. For more information on upcoming productions, please visit us online at theatre.uiowa.edu or arts.uiowa.edu. You can also follow us on Twitter and find us on Facebook and Instagram!

Continuing the celebration of the 125th anniversary of the CRMA, this exhibition looks at 125 masterpieces drawn from the CRMA’s extensive collection.  Works which normally do not hang together because of their diverse subjects or styles will coexist in an exuberant display of the CRMA’s treasures.  Artworks by Grant Wood and Marvin Cone are joined with those of important early African-American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and American Impressionist Frederick Carl Frieseke.  Roman treasures will be on view with modern and contemporary masterworks.  Prints and drawings, paintings and sculptures will hang together, spanning nearly two thousand years of artmaking.  The list of artists is a veritable who’s who of artists from the history of art:  Baskin, Beasley, Benton, Beuys, Bolotowsky, Bonnard, Braque, Brown, Buck, and Burford—and that’s just the B’s.  While only a fraction of the collection, these 125 works represent a sampling of the breadth and depth of the CRMA’s rich and diverse collection.

 

“125! is a celebration of both the CRMA and the local community that has made our collection possible.  The 125 artworks in the exhibition were chosen from the approximately 8,000 pieces in the permanent collection, nearly 100% of which were acquired as donations from local collectors or through funds from local supporters.  This exhibition is a celebration of the continued strength and generosity of the Cedar Rapids community and we’re thrilled to be able to showcase it at the CRMA.”  Associate Curator Kate Kunau

For decades, the battle has raged: Beatles or Stones?  Through their heyday, fans accused London’s Rolling Stones of stealing ideas — even entire albums – from their Liverpool counterparts. At the same time, the Beatles secretly envied the Stones’ “bad boy” image and attitude, often copying their style.  Both bands are unmistakably great, scoring an array of hits that changed musical history, but only one can be the best.  The most infamous rivalry in rock and roll never played out in a public arena until now as Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown returns to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, September 20 at 7:00 pm. The show played to a capacity audience at the Paramount last year. 

Will the Stones be yelling for “Help” to fight the songwriting prowess of Lennon/McCartney?  Or will the Beatles cry “Gimme Shelter” from the relentless sonic barrage of Jagger/Richards classics?

While fierce competition fueled the creative output of both bands during the 1960’s, tension between the tribute performers is equally palpable.

“The Beatles cornered the rock market on cute suits and fluffy hairdos, but then they stood still on stage and modeled them,” that according to Chris LeGrand, who plays a dead ringer for Mick Jagger in both swagger and ability.

“The Stones rocked the stage, and worked as hard as the bluesmen they modeled their stage show after, generating the smoldering sexuality that came to be a hallmark of great rock-n-roll acts.  The Beatles?  Well, they were cute!  The Stones were the original punks, outsiders at best.  Beatles took tea with the bloody Queen–how rock-n-roll is that?!”

As for the Beatle response? “We got our Sgt. Pepper jackets made a little long so the Stones would have no problem riding our coattails!”  Mocks drummer Axel Clarke as Ringo.  “That Mick Jagger sure can move! It’s a shame he has to work twice as hard to be half as good!”

Would you let your daughter marry a Rolling Stone, or your son come home with a Beatle haircut?  This ultimate battle of the bands pits the mop tops against the bad boys.  London against Liverpool.  Guitars will weep and dice will tumble, and in the end, when the whip comes down, only one band shall emerge victorious.   Whoever wins, the audience is sure to be dazzled by an “electrifying show” (O.C Register), with fantastic music, iconic wardrobe and spot on performances down to the onstage banter, missed notes and flubs heard on the original records.

 

Members of both nationally touring tribute bands, Abbey Road and Satisfaction – The International Rolling Stones Show, have taken great care to recreate the experience of seeing these incredible bands live so as to please casual fans and purists alike.  That ‘All You Need is Love’ spirit appears to be lost on Messrs. Legrand and Clarke, who continue trading barbs. “The Beatles wrote Let It Be, but the Stones countered with Let It Bleed!” snarls Chris.

“Listen, mate,” counters Axel. “The song John and Paul gave to the Stones (‘I Wanna Be Your Man’ in 1963) was one they let Ringo sing…that says it all!”  Ouch.

 

Beatles or Stones? You decide!

Calendar: The two greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands of all time face off as the Paramount Theatre hosts tributes to the Beatles and the Rolling Stones. Renowned tribute bands Abbey Road and Satisfaction – The International Rolling Stones Show engage in a musical showdown of the hits. Beatles vs. Stones – A Musical Showdown returns to the Paramount Theatre in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, September 20 at 7 pm. Tickets are $23 – $68 and may be purchased by phone at 319.366.8203, at the Theatre Box Office and online at www.paramounttheatrecr.com. The Paramount Theatre is located at 123 Third Avenue SE Cedar Rapids, IA 52401. The show is appropriate for all ages. Full COVID-19 Protocols and socially distanced seating is in place at the Paramount Theatre.

Normally this week, Cedar Rapids and surrounding towns would be welcoming hundreds of young men and women to prepare for the annual
Tournament of Drums competition, but like so many beloved traditions, this year’s show was suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Still, drum & bugle corps fans can see one bright spot this year, with the publication of a new book about this unique activity.

“Marking Time: A History of Drum & Bugle Corps in Cedar Rapids, Iowa” traces the nearly century-long history of drum corps and drill teams, dating back to the first "junior" corps in Cedar Rapids in 1928. Based on interviews with more than 50 drum corps alumni, former staff, directors, drum majors and volunteers, the book explores the earliest Cedar Rapids corps through the latest in 2001.

The nonprofit Iowa Music & Arts Association (IMAA) received a Linn County Historic Preservation Commission grant last year to partially fund the project, joined by numerous donors. The 100-page hardcover book includes nearly 200 photos of past Cedar Rapids corps, people and memorabilia.

“Without this project to document our past, that collective knowledge would disappear as this generation departs,” IMAA President Mitch Beahm said.

The music and pageantry of drum & bugle corps is rooted in post-World War I American veterans groups, but it was a French immigrant named Jack Fromm who launched and popularized junior corps in Iowa. Bob Steuber, now 96, remembers Fromm as the person who led the Musketeers to a first-place finish in a national competition in 1934, when Steuber was a young bugle player in the Cedar Rapids corps. He was among alumni interviewed for the project. The book was anticipated to be released at the Tournament of Drums, the annual competition revived in 2015, and continued since then by a group of Emerald Knights and
Nite Express alumni. In light of the pandemic, the book can be ordered online at iowamusicandarts.org and volunteers will hold a low-contact distribution day Saturday, Aug. 15, at Bever Park. The media is invited to attend.

Details
What: “Marking Time” book distribution
When: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020
Where: Red Oak Pavilion in Bever Park, 2700 Bever Ave. SE, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cost: Books are $35 if picked up (exact change or check) or $45 if shipped. Order at iowamusicandarts.org
Other: To help protect the health of volunteers, face masks are required.

Brucemore presents two original music events – “Unforgettable and Unplugged” and “Hair and Product” – in the courtyard of the historic Carriage House Thursdays through Sundays, August 13 through September 6 at 7:30 p.m. Both shows are being produced by Brucemore under the creative direction of the organization’s artisan in residence, Gerard Estella. Various mitigation strategies will be in effect to ensure safety while allowing audiences to enjoy a signature evening under the stars in a setting unlike any other.

“Individuals and organizations in the arts and cultural community have been greatly impacted by the pandemic,” said Director of Community Engagement Tara Richards. “The outdoor spaces at Brucemore are a unique asset that we wanted to use to support other artists if we felt we could do it safely. We built a model of the courtyard to-scale to help us test creative solutions for hosting an event with spatial distancing in mind.”

Unforgettable and Unplugged—August 13 – 16 and 27 – 30 at 7:30 p.m.— will feature music selections ranging from Broadway to coffee shop and all the places in between. Audiences will enjoy an evening of unforgettable songs presented in an acoustic setting with a focus on vocals and story. This show will feature a combination of solo and ensemble performances by Jackson Bartelme, Tim Riven, Joe Weitrich, Alicia Monee, and Lacie De Souza and be backed by the band Lincoln Ginsberg, Greg Kanz, and Gerard Estella.

Hair and Product—August 20 – 23 and September 3 – 6 at 7:30 p.m.— brings the 70s and 80s back to Brucemore. The iconic and familiar tunes will have guests dancing in their seats. This show will feature solo and ensemble performances by Anna Wilde, Lacie De Souza, Staisha Fredericks, Scott Dix, and Jared Rogers, and the band Dave Nanke, Jim Coates, Jeremiah Murphy, and Gerard Estella.

Space will be extremely limited with only 18 tables available each night. Tables capable of seating up to 4 people are available for $100 each (Brucemore members receive a $20 discount). Guests will not be seated with people outside of their party. As part of the mitigation strategies, each table will be placed six feet apart and 12 feet from the stage. Masks will be required unless seated. Spatial distancing and other mitigation strategies will be enforced for both the performers and the audience to ensure a safe environment. All performances begin at 7:30 p.m. with the Linden Drive gate opening at 7:00 p.m. for on-site parking and seating. Patrons can bring their favorite beverages (wine and beer allowed) and light snacks. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.brucemore.org or call (319) 362-7375.

 

About Gerard Estella, Brucemore’s Artisan in Residence

Originally from New York City, Gerard Estella considers himself lucky to have the pleasure of doing what he loves. Not only has he worked with artists like Sting, Phil Collins and Jo Dee Messina, he has also composed for film, TV and stage. His other client work includes HBO, IMAX Films, AEGON, Transamerica, Rockwell International, and Toyota. Landing in the Cedar Rapids community, he is a founding member of SPT Theatre and GMix East. He has a history with Brucemore’s programming, including participating in various ways in A Modern Salon, Cabaret in the Courtyard, Live from the Artisan Studio, Classics at Brucemore, and the CD/coffee table book set, Uncommon Kings.

 

About Brucemore

Brucemore is a living landmark that charts the history of Cedar Rapids. The independent non-profit preserves and shares the estate through innovative, collaborative programming that inspires those who visit today. The site’s story is a lens to the past and a reminder of the people, the events, and the drive that shaped the Cedar Rapids community. Brucemore is an irreplaceable asset and a powerful reminder that the shared history belongs to everyone. For more information, call (319) 362-7375 or visit www.brucemore.org.