Culture Wire

Sponsored by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs

The INF is excited to announce a new content partnership with the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs (IDCA). Entitled “Iowa Culture Wire”, the IDCA will provide a quarterly arts and culture article series to INA members– who may utilize the content free of charge in their newspapers.

From the IDCA:

“The series offers fresh stories about arts, history, film and culture from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. With solid reporting, stylish writing and lively photos, this publish-ready content covers every corner of the state to help readers discover the people and places that make Iowa such a fascinating place to live.”

About the writers:

Michael Morain covered arts and culture for the Des Moines Register from 2005 to 2016 before becoming the communications manager at the Department of Cultural Affairs. He is a two-time fellow of the National Endowment for the Arts Institute for Arts Journalism and (more important) the nephew and grandson of two INA Master Editor-Publishers: Rick Morain and the late Fred Morain of Jefferson.

Jeff Morgan has served the Department of Cultural Affairs since 2004, following two decades of experience in public relations, and journalism. He has formerly worked for Des Moines Performing Arts (formerly the Des Moines Civic Center), the Des Moines Register, Des Moines Business Record, Iowa City Press-Citizen and various Meredith Corp. publications.

CURRENT SERIES

The current series of articles is available to download today. The series covers the following topics:

At the Iowa Arts Summit, set for Aug. 10-12, Iowans can learn more about the value of enlisting artists in community development. This year's summit will highlight successful projects across the state, including Mason City and Maquoketa, where leaders have sought out artists to enliven their downtowns, and Oskaloosa, which plans to launch a new creative studio space and expand an artist-in-residence program. Other examples can be found in Indianola and Dubuque. 

Download .zip file

From July 27 through Aug. 3, Ballet Des Moines will tour a new space-inspired program to Waterloo, Clear Lake, Algona, Muscatine, Chariton and Des Moines. The program uses music and movement to explain the solar system, using human bodies to show how heavenly bodies orbit, rotate, revolve and eclipse one another. Off stage, audiences will have a chance to gaze at stars in a portable planetarium, check out Iowa State University's FLEx Virtual Reality Lab and send postcards into space.

Download .zip file

CULTURE WIRE ARCHIVES