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Showing posts with label State Histocial Society Of Iowa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label State Histocial Society Of Iowa. Show all posts
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Big Show Alert!
Join us this Friday night as we welcome the Bob Pace Band featuring Steve George. These two have an astounding amount of talent between them, both having been part of Des Moines' Blues scene for years. Most recently, the duo performed as the Midnight Dogs and won the 2009 Iowa Blues Challenge. They earned a trip to Memphis to compete in the International Blues Challenge in January 2010. Steve George was 
inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in 2005. So basically what I'm saying is you're getting all this talent and entertainment for FREE! 
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Blues Before Sunset: Sumpin' Doo
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Join us this Friday night as we feature Sumpin' Doo during Blues Before Sunset! This band features brothers and Iowa Blues Hall of Fame members George and Gil Davis who can provide a show you won't soon forget. If you like classic R&B, Motown or a little bit of rock 'n' roll here and there, you're going to want to join us (especially if we can get them to play their totally awesome rendition of "Try A Little Tenderness").Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Blues Before Sunset
I must admit I am a bit disappointed that the Blues Before Sunset series has gone monthly. It used to be a weekly concert series at the State Historical Building of Iowa. It was a show that I had a hand in starting a long time ago. I assume that money is probably the issue. The state has been slashing budgets all over the place. I know from past experience that they love cutting the budget for the Department of Cultural Affairs. (yup, who needs culture, teachers, cops, you know the drill)
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Thursday, April 3, 2008
Blues At The State Historical Society Of Iowa In Des Moines
Some great blues going on at the State Historical Society in Des Moines! ( I need to say Des Moines since there is also a building in Iowa City as well!) Blues Before Sunset makes it seventh appearance (And once again Frank has not booked me! Gee Frank Can't you get over it! After all I was the one who put that show together in the first place:-) Also a very, very, very, cool show staring BF Burt and the Blues Instigators who will be putting on African American Blues in Iowa. That show is scheduled for April 12. Check out the press release below for more details.
Blues Before Sunset Launches 7th Annual Summer Concert Series
A host of new faces will make their way to the 2008 Blues Before Sunset stage this summer, as the popular summer music series returns to the State Historical Building June 6.
The event will be held Friday nights from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on East Locust Street in front of the State Historical Building at 600 E. Locust in the heart of Des Moines’ East Village. The event is free and family-friendly with beer, wine and an assortment of beverages available for sale. Food vendors will be available on site. Guests are asked to bring their own seating.
The weekly outdoor event has become a favorite start-of-the-weekend activity for metro workers. Now in its 7th year, Blues Before Sunset supports the local Blues scene by hiring homegrown talent.
“This year we’re focusing on exposing the audience to new talent, so a lot of the names they see might not be familiar to them” said Sarah Oltrogge, event coordinator. “Regardless, every band on the roster is top notch local talent. Then we’ll end the season on a high note when we welcome Bo Ramsey whose distinctive guitar playing and talent are well known across the U.S.”
The 2008 Blues Before Sunset schedule is:
June 6: Hot Tamale & The Red Hots
Hot Tamale & The Red Hots features Cindy Grill who provides a dynamic range and the soul of a true blues vocalist. Founding member Kevin Bodtke wails on harmonica and is backed by the experienced talent of Bobby Cassady on drums, Rod Moulin on bass and Alan Smith on guitar and vocals.
June 13: The Andy Schneider One-Man Blues Band
To introduce him as a one-man band may not prepare you fully, nor do justice to the authenticity of the music. Andy Schneider preaches the blues: playing 8-string guitar (a combination of both bass and lead guitars), harmonica, drums and singing. Simultaneously. With a reverent nod to his blues and country roots, Schneider reinvents the traditional bluesman’s role, igniting the music with a fire and passion that leaves audiences breathless.
June 20: Blues Bureau
Jody Bodley and Dewey Cantrell lead this band that has been a staple on the Des Moines Blues scene for several years. With Bodley’s vocals reminiscent of Janis Joplin, and master guitar player Dewey Cantrell, the duo cover a range of songs to satisfy every taste.
June 27: Jonny and the Rectifiers
Based in Des Moines, Iowa, the band played for 9 years as The Delta Kings. With a new rhythm section in 2005 the Rectifiers were born. Playing the Iowa club circuit and private parties and blues festivals, the Rectifiers favor vintage instruments, tube amps and a live audience to fuel a party. Sets vary with the mood of the room from smokey Chicago and Texas blues to vintage rockabilly rants. Frontman Jon East, a second generation Iowa veteran musician handles vocals and guitar chores. The band also features keyboard/Hammond organ player Jeff Daniels, Scott Hartung on drums and Jeff “JB” Baker on fender and upright bass, a disciple of the late Keith Ferguson and Ronnie James Weber of the current Thunderbirds.
July 4: NO SHOW – 4th of JULY HOLIDAY
July 11: Lady Blue
Formed in the Summer heat of 2005, Lady Blue featuring TINA HAASE FINDLAY (band leader, vocals) does indeed feature a very special lady, who has been belting out her passion for more than 20 years. The band includes Findlay’s husband, Brandon Findlay on lead guitar and vocals; Ben Williams on guitar, vocals and percussion; Randy Ramaekers on drums; and Kevin McGinnis on bass and vocals. With her band by her side, Tina continues to celebrate not only the richly diverse history of the blues, but also its vibrant future.
July 18: The Bob Pace Band w/Steve George
This can range from rockabilly to delta blues to country, to what Pace calls "blues with a rock edge, in the style of Jimi Hendrix or Johnny Winter." Throughout this lifelong musical journey, Bob Pace has developed a guitar style all his own, although Pace admits to being heavily influenced by Carlos Santana, Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton. Pace has a particularly special bond with Clapton. The band is led by Iowa Blues Hall of Famer Steve George, a veteran of the Des Moines music scene who performed in clubs on the legendary Center Street of Des Moines.
July 25: Erick Hovey Band
Erick Hovey is a fifth generation farmer from Fort Dodge. His central location allowed him to absorb music from all over the country and develop a style that blended the best of what he likes. The result is music built on a sturdy foundation, with easy-to-identify-with subject matter and sharp arrangements. Erick and the band play with genuine heart and engaging personality, producing an unstrained delivery and easy grace that makes the material seem utterly uncontrived. At times smooth and wistful, at times rockin’, but always cloaked in cool blues.
Aug. 1: Bo Ramsey
Despite the title of his new album, Bo Ramsey’s guitar playing and songwriting are anything but fragile. Perhaps most widely recognized for his amazing guitar prowess on Lucinda William’s Grammy award-winning CD “Car Wheels On A Gravel Road,” as well as his work playing on and producing records for the preeminent singer/songwriter Greg Brown and rising star Pieta Brown, Bo Ramsey will release “Fragile” on April 8, 2008. This is his first new album of all original music in 10 years and somewhat ironically, his strongest work to date. The album, the 11th in his 30-year career, features 11 new songs all written or co-written by Ramsey, and finds him firmly at the forefront of a resurging Iowan musical renaissance, tastefully supported by world-class, Midwest-based musicians. The demand for Ramsey’s unmistakable imprint on other artists’ work has tended to keep his own work on the back-burner, but Ramsey is a fine, evocative and passionate writer in his own right and a commanding singer and performer.
Blues Before Sunset is sponsored by the State Historical Society of Iowa and Central Iowa Blues Society with promotional support proudly driven by 100.3 The BUS and Capital 106.3, “quality music from then and now” and additional support by Baratta’s restaurant.
The State Historical Society of Iowa is seeking food vendors for the 2008 Blues Before Sunset Concert Series.
The 8-week Friday evening event is held on East Locust Street in front of the State Historical Building at 600 E. Locust from 5:30-7:30 p.m. beginning June 6 and running through Aug. 1 (no July 4 performance).
Vendors offering prepared food and/or ethnic foods and snacks are particularly encouraged to apply. Limited power sources available. Vendor fees are $30 per event (minimum of 3 events) or $250 for all 8 weeks for a 10’ x 10’ booth space.
For a vendor application or more information, call (515) 281-4011 or e-mail Sarah.Oltrogge@iowa.gov. Applications are due Thursday, May 1.
The Iowa Arts Council will celebrate African American Blues in Iowa next month when it presents Kevin “B.F.” Burt and the Instigators, who will perform, talk and jam at the State Historical Building.
Thanks to funding from the National Endowment for the Arts American Masterpieces Initiative, this free, family-oriented performance will take place 1-3 p.m. April 12, 2008, at the State Historical Building, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. More information is available at 515-281-5111 or www.culturalaffairs.org. Audience members are encouraged to bring instruments and jam with the band.
Burt and the Instigators are featured performers in IAC’s Cultural Express program, funded in part by a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Access to the Arts grant. This project was created in collaboration with traditional artists and communities. Tabletop exhibits, resource kits for activities, and live two-hour programs explore Danish, American Indian, Lao, Bosnian, Asian Indian, and Vietnamese folklife, as well as traditional Gospel, Blues, Latino, Old Time Anglo-Scots-Irish, and Czech and German Polka music.
Born and reared in Waterloo, Burt grew up listening to church choirs and became a social worker.
When a co-worker praised his powerful voice several years ago, Burt began attending local blues jams where he met a group of musicians who decided to form their own band, Kevin Burt & the Instigators. Led by Burt on lead vocals, the group includes John Lane on bass, Eric Madson on drums and Matt Panek on guitar.
This four-member band has toured the Midwest for 11 years playing songs on the funky side of the blues.
They perform a blues repertoire of old and new songs by such artists as Bill Withers, Muddy Waters and Creedence Clearwater Revival to create an indigenous Iowa sound. Kevin Burt & the Instigators perform at various blues venues and festivals from small towns to major cities such as Kansas City, Chicago and St. Louis.
Burt, along with Panek, was a featured performer at the Smithsonian Institution’s 1996 Festival of American Folklife in Washington, D.C. and at the Sesquicentennial Festival of Iowa Folklife, as well as at subsequent state and regional folklife festivals. He has shared billing with B.B. King, Koko Taylor, Lonnie Brooks, Ellis Hooks, David ‘Honeyboy’ Edwards, Robert Lockwood Jr., Little Ed, Long John Hunter, Rod Piazza, Kenny Neal, Jonny Rawls and more.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Cultural Advocacy Day In Iowa
An important day for the arts in Iowa. February 18th is a Sunday so no excuses!
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Photo Of The Week: Scotty And The Wingtips
A Cool pic of my good friends Scotty And The Wingtips. Scott Hartung(in the hat), Mike Tyler(playing piano), and Ernie Terrill were the core of a great jump and blues band. In this photo they are waiting for their turn to play. This was shot backstage at the State Historical Society of Iowa, in the Des Moines museum. The showcase was there for about three years, and the last four shows of the radio show were recorded there. I did get an email from Scott a couple of days ago, so the Wingtips are still around! If you are in Des Moines check them out.
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Blues Event At the State Historical Society Of Iowa
Mississippi Blues was shown by the State Historical Society of Iowa, at the
Historical Building in Des Moines. I actually was disappointed. It was a movie made in the late 70s, or early 80s, and was about a team of French documentary film makers and their adventures in Mississippi. It painted a pretty bleak painting of life in Mississippi, and the politics of the era, so in a way it was a dated movie, and yet it is an important film that it captured what life was life then. While there was blues music in the movie, for the most part I think the title really meant, hard luck in Mississippi. However, my part in the days adventure had nothing to do with the movie. I was there to help lead a discussion with Hobart DePatton about Center Street. Below is a picture of an exhibit on permanent display at the Historical Building. The majority of the exhibit was donated by Hobart DePatton, and belonged to his father who was the local printer on Center.
I was suppose to lead discussion with Hobart about Center Street, but things got mixed up! That was alright, because when dealing with the blues you need to ad lib:-)Mr. DePatton ending up on stage with the people who were going to discuss the music of Center Street. In the picture below you have from left to right Hobart DePatton, Mel Harper(owner of two clubs located in the Bilikin Ballroom) George Davis,(Guitarist and Vocalist for the Soul Brothers, and currently Sumptin To Do) and Harlan Thomas (Keyboard Player, and Vocalists for the Soul Brothers, and currently Backstage Boogie Band)
George Davis on Guitar
Harlan Thomas On Keyboard
However, I did play a part in the festivities. I was asked to introduce Cheryl Pryor, and Jack Lufkin. I told a couple of stories about Jimmy Pryor, and then introduced his wife Cheryl, then Jack Lufkin one of the curators at SHSI came down and accepted from Cheryl Jimmy's legendary Kazoo. Hopefully, in a few weeks Cheryl will also donate one of Jimmy's cool suits so that they can have a display of Jimmy's memorabilia.
It was a nice afternoon of blues, and while the crowd was disappointedly small, those who were there had a great time. I will post the photos that I have on my myspace page. I will update this page, and put up a hotlink to the photos once I get it done.
UPDATE
Photos are up CLICK HERE
Historical Building in Des Moines. I actually was disappointed. It was a movie made in the late 70s, or early 80s, and was about a team of French documentary film makers and their adventures in Mississippi. It painted a pretty bleak painting of life in Mississippi, and the politics of the era, so in a way it was a dated movie, and yet it is an important film that it captured what life was life then. While there was blues music in the movie, for the most part I think the title really meant, hard luck in Mississippi. However, my part in the days adventure had nothing to do with the movie. I was there to help lead a discussion with Hobart DePatton about Center Street. Below is a picture of an exhibit on permanent display at the Historical Building. The majority of the exhibit was donated by Hobart DePatton, and belonged to his father who was the local printer on Center.
I was suppose to lead discussion with Hobart about Center Street, but things got mixed up! That was alright, because when dealing with the blues you need to ad lib:-)Mr. DePatton ending up on stage with the people who were going to discuss the music of Center Street. In the picture below you have from left to right Hobart DePatton, Mel Harper(owner of two clubs located in the Bilikin Ballroom) George Davis,(Guitarist and Vocalist for the Soul Brothers, and currently Sumptin To Do) and Harlan Thomas (Keyboard Player, and Vocalists for the Soul Brothers, and currently Backstage Boogie Band)
George Davis on Guitar
Harlan Thomas On Keyboard
However, I did play a part in the festivities. I was asked to introduce Cheryl Pryor, and Jack Lufkin. I told a couple of stories about Jimmy Pryor, and then introduced his wife Cheryl, then Jack Lufkin one of the curators at SHSI came down and accepted from Cheryl Jimmy's legendary Kazoo. Hopefully, in a few weeks Cheryl will also donate one of Jimmy's cool suits so that they can have a display of Jimmy's memorabilia.
It was a nice afternoon of blues, and while the crowd was disappointedly small, those who were there had a great time. I will post the photos that I have on my myspace page. I will update this page, and put up a hotlink to the photos once I get it done.
UPDATE
Photos are up CLICK HERE
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Mississippi Blues In Des Moines Iowa
This is a bit of a repost from HERE. However, there is a new article out from the Des Moines Register, my old hometown paper about the event, and they mention ME!!! (Click Here) It should be a fun event this Saturday. The movie starts at 2pm, and you might want to get there early since the auditorium holds about 250 people. I will take the stage after the show to talk about Center Street with Mr. Hobart Depatton, and hopefully some of the musicians from Center Street who will perform after the movie. I have also found a lot a great places to hook up my lap top so I can keep the blog up to date, so stick with me this weekend:-)
Monday, August 20, 2007
State Historical Society Of Iowa News Release
Just received this important news from SHSI. Of course the upcoming movie Mississippi Blues is coming up September, 6th and 8th, but another film in February also has a blues connection. Here is the release from SHSI:
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
600 E. Locust Street
Des Moines, Iowa 50319
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: August 20, 2007
Contact: Jeff Morgan, 515-281-3858
Historical Museum announces 2007-2008 film series
Mississippi Blues kicks off “Movies at the Museum” in September
DES MOINES – The State Historical Museum today announced its 2007-2008 “Movies at the Museum” film series begins in September with Mississippi Blues, a documentary that explores the origins of the blues.
In Mississippi Blues, filmmakers Robert Parrish and Bertrand Tavernier document their journey through America’s Deep South searching for the roots of blues music. Along the way, they uncover unlikely characters and compile some of the most amazingly raw performance footage ever put on film.
Co-sponsored by the Central Iowa Blues Society, Mississippi Blues will be shown at 7 p.m. Sept. 6th and 2 p.m. Sept. 8th at the State Historical Museum, 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines’ Historic East Village. Admission is $5 at iowatix.com or at the door; CIBS members receive $1 off the admission fee. Beer and wine will be available.
Following the Sept. 8th matinee, Tom Gary, author of A Place Called Center Street, will lead a historical discussion – “Center Street Retrospective” – with Hobart DePatton and Iowa Blues Hall of Fame members George Davis, Mel Harper, Ron McClain and Harlan Thomas, who will also perform.
DePatton is the son of Robert E. Patten, who operated a Des Moines printing business serving the African-American community from the 1920s to the 1960s. Patten printed many of the social club events posters that provide a glimpse into Des Moines’ Center Street nightlife, which is showcased in the Historical Museum’s exhibit, Patten’s Neighborhood: Memories of the Center Street Community.
In addition, the museum also will receive donations Sept. 6th and 8th for the Jimmy Pryor Music Scholarship Fund, which supports Iowa students enrolled in a music program at an accredited college or university. The legendary Jimmy “Midnite Cowboy” Pryor was inducted into the Iowa Blues Hall of Fame in 1990, and died in 2006.
Following is the State Historical Museum’s 2007-2008 “Movies at the Museum” schedule:
September
Mississippi Blues – co-sponsored by the Central Iowa Blues Society
Thursday, September 6, 7 p.m.
Saturday, September 8, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
Directors Bertrand Tavernier and Robert Parrish filmed entirely in America’s Deep South exploring the origins of the blues. They capture the authentic sounds; people singing in churches, homes, cafes and farms.
October
Special World Premiere – Lost Nation: The Ioway
Thursday, October 11, 7 & 9 p.m.
Admission: $14 at iowatix.com or at the door
World Premiere event includes movie, reception, atrium displays, Ioway drummers and dancers from Oklahoma, and Q&A with filmmakers.
Friday, October 12, 7 & 9 p.m.
Saturday, October 13, 2 & 7 p.m.
Sunday, October 14, 1 p.m.
Admission: $8 at iowatix.com or at the door
From the creators of the award-winning documentary, Villisca: Living with a Mystery, comes the world premiere of Lost Nation: The Ioway, which tells the nearly forgotten story of Iowa’s early inhabitants. Filmmakers Kelly and Tammy Rundle trace the story of the Ioway – from their ancestors, known as the Oneota, to their present day locations in Kansas and Oklahoma. The dramatic saga of Iowa’s early inhabitants unfolds in this documentary.
Between 1676 and 1802, the Ioway found themselves caught between warring European superpowers culminating in the Louisiana Purchase. The film explores how the small tribe was caught between colonizers and, by virtue of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, how they were gradually pushed out of the territory just before the state of Iowa was named after them. The documentary brings together commentary from historians, archaeologists, anthropologists, Ioway Elders, and new footage of historic sites, photographs, documents, art from the Smithsonian Institute, and other national museums, music, legends, dances, powwows and reenactments. The Rundles will conduct a discussion of the film following the movie Thursday through Saturday. Melinda Carriker, caretaker of the 1700 Ioway Village at Living History Farms, will answer questions after Sunday’s screening.
November
BRATS
Thursday, November 1, 7 p.m.
Saturday, November 3, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
Children of United States military personnel share intimate memories about their unique childhoods – growing up on military bases around the world, and then struggling to fit into an American lifestyle with which they have little in common. Narrated and featuring songs by Kris Kristofferson. Interviews include General Norman Schwarzkopf.
December
Anthem: An American Road Story
Thursday, December 6, 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 8, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
A captivating, cross-country adventure brought to life by two young women who take the road to explore and expose the American Dream. Armed with a Powerbook and a couple of cameras, filmmakers Shainee Gabel (writer/director of Golden Globe-nominated A Love Song for Bobby Long) and Kristin Hahn (Executive Producer of Academy Award-winning The Departed) find themselves driving recklessly through the back roads of Aspen with Hunter S. Thompson, chilling out with Willie Nelson on his tour bus, musing with Robert Redford in the mountains of Sundance and inadvertently breaking the rules in the West Wing – all the while chronicling the people they meet along the way in gas stations and diners. Anthem is a unique and irreverent time capsule of the American Spirit at the dawn of the 21st century. Starring: Chuck D., Rita Dove, Geraldine Ferraro, George McGovern, Willie Nelson, Robert Redford, Tom Robbins, George Stephanopoulos, Michael Stipe, Studs Terkel, Hunter S. Thompson, John Waters and many others
January
The War Room
Thursday, January 17, 7 p.m.
Saturday, January 19, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
This popular documentary The War Room takes us inside Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign and the exciting, topsy-turvy race that proved to be one of the most memorable in U.S. history and came to define American political discourse for the 1990s. Director D.A. Pennebaker provides a personal, up-close view of the two principals: campaign managers James Carville and George Stephanopoulos as they try to stay on top of the exploding maelstrom of events – from scandalous, personal smear tactics to the rise of quixotic spoiler Ross Perot. With remarkable confidence and media-savvy, they maintain order and forward momentum by steering public discourse away from negative issues of character and draft-dodging and back to the focus of their candidate’s policies. They also create convincing catchphrases (It’s the Economy, Stupid!) and keep the perspective on domestic issues tailor-made to benefit Clinton. The War Room is a harrowing emotional roller coaster of unfolding drama and suspense, loaded with historic significance and personal intimacy.
February
Genghis Blues
Thursday, February 7, 7 p.m.
Saturday, February 9, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
The extraordinary odyssey of a U.S. musician of Cape Verdean ancestry to Tannu Tuva in central Asia, where nomadic people throat-sing more than one note simultaneously using vocal harmonics. A bluesman, Paul Pena, blind and recently widowed, taught himself throat singing and was by chance invited to the 1995 throat-singing symposium in Kyzyl. Helped by the “Friends of Tuva,” Pena makes the arduous journey. Singing in the deep, rumbling kargyraa style, Pena gives inspired performances at the festival, composes songs in Tuvan, washes his face in sacred rivers, expresses the disorientation of blindness in foreign surroundings, and makes a human connection with everyone he meets. It is unlikely that you’ve ever seen a film quite like Genghis Blues. A totally fascinating portrait of a San Francisco Bluesman and his trip to the land of Tuva. This is the kind of film that film festivals were meant to show.
March
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme
Thursday, March 6, 7 p.m.
Saturday, March 8, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
Explosively documenting the story of a group of underground hip-hop MCs & DJs from the early 1980s to the present day, Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme is a documentary that explores the world of improvisational rap – the rarely recorded art form of rhyming spontaneously, or “off the top of the head.” Made over the course of more than seven years, mostly with borrowed or stolen cameras by a co-operative of students, b-boys, DJs, and MCs. Known as The Center for Hip-Hop Education, Freestyle takes the viewer on a journey through the previously unexamined dimensions of hip-hop as a spiritual and community based art form.
Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme combines the best of independent art house cinema within the hip-hop mix tape format. The project features appearances by: Supernatural, Mos Def, Freestyle Fellowship, Lord Finesse, Cut Chemist, Craig G, Juice, DJ Kool Herc, Boots of the Coup, Medusa, Planet Asia, Sway, Crazy Legs, Jurasic-5, Wordsworth, Bobitto Garcia, and The Last Poets.
April
Our Brand Is Crisis
Thursday, April 3, 7 p.m.
Saturday, April 5, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
For decades, U.S. strategists-for-hire have been quietly molding the opinions of voters and the messages of candidates in elections from the Middle East to the South American jungle. With flabbergasting access to think sessions, media training and the making of smear campaigns, we watch how the consultants’ marketing strategies shape the relationship between a leader and his people. Our Brand is Crisis is an astounding look at one group’s campaign to elect the President of Bolivia and its earth-shattering aftermath.
May
In the Mirror of Maya Deren
Thursday, May 1, 7 p.m.
Saturday, May 3, 2 p.m.
Admission: $5 at iowatix.com or at the door
Deemed “Fellini and Bergman wrapped in one gloriously possessed body,” Maya Deren is arguably the most important and innovative avant-garde documentary filmmaker in the history of American cinema. Using locations from the Hollywood Hills to Haiti in the 1940s and 1950s, Deren made such mesmerizing documentaries as At Land, Ritual in Transfigured Time, and her masterpiece, Meshes of the Afternoon, which won a prestigious international experimental filmmaking prize at the 1947 Cannes Film Festival. Starting with excerpts from these documentaries, In the Mirror seamlessly and effectively interweaves archival footage and observances from acolytes and contemporaries such as Stan Brakhage and Jonas Mekas with an original score by experimental jazz legend John Zorn. Documentarian Martina Kudlacek has fashioned not only a fascinating portrait of a groundbreaking and influential artist, but a pitch-perfect introduction to her strikingly beautiful and poetic body of work.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs is responsible for developing the state’s interest in the areas of the arts, history and other cultural matters with the advice and assistance from its two divisions: the State Historical Society of Iowa and the Iowa Arts Council. DCA preserves, researches, interprets and promotes an awareness and understanding of local, state and regional history and stimulates and encourages the study and presentation of the performing and fine arts and public interest and participation in them. It implements tourism-related art and history projects as directed by the General Assembly and designs a comprehensive, statewide, long-range plan with the assistance of the Iowa Arts Council to develop the arts in Iowa. More information about DCA is available at www.culturalaffairs.org.
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