Cultural Venues & Amenities
African American Historical Museum & Cultural Center of Iowa
Address: 55 12th Avenue S.E.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52406
Telephone: 319.862.2101
1.877.526.1863 (Toll-free)
Fax: 319.862.2105
E-mail: gro.awoikcalb|noitamrofni#gro.awoikcalb|noitamrofni
Website: www.blackiowa.org/
Contact: Tom Moore, Executive Director
Purpose: The mission of the African American Historical Museum & Cultural Center of Iowa is to preserve and share Iowa's rich African-American heritage by offering educational resources to the public and by promoting a new center for learning.
The museum aims to educate the public and to promote and publicize the heritage of black people of continental African descent. The museum networks with other like organizations to promote a wider sense of community involvement. To accomplish its goals, the museum develops programs designed to educate and involve the community. In addition to raising funds, the museum frequently procures artifacts, art and related historical items for exhibit and preservation. The museum is open to the public, and memberships are available to those who wish to offer further support.
Brucemore Historic Site and Community Cultural Center
Address: 2160 Linden Drive
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
Telephone: 319.362.7375
319.362.1004 (Brucemore Cutting Gardens)
1.800.729.4781 (Brucemore Cutting Gardens)
Fax: 319.362.9481
E-mail: gro.eromecurb|liam#gro.eromecurb|liam
Website: www.brucemore.org
Contact: Peggy Whitworth - gro.eromecurb|yggep#gro.eromecurb|yggep
Purpose: Since 1981, Brucemore has been a National Trust Historic Site, known for its variety of hosted events. Brucemore is a Queen Anne-style mansion situated on a magnificent 26-acre parklike estate in the heart of Cedar Rapids. Built between 1884 and 1886, Brucemore was once home to three prominent families who used the estate as a center for culture and the arts.
Today, Brucemore is alive with events from dance to drama and continues to serve as a focal point for cultural, philanthropic and educational activities. Each year, Brucemore is enjoyed by thousands of visitors who attend musical events, fine arts performances, holiday celebrations, and garden walks held on the estate. A tour of the 21-room mansion provides a glimpse of the privileged life of an earlier time.
Visitors who wish to take a portion of Brucemore's natural elegance home are invited to visit the Brucemore Cutting Gardens. Here, they will be able to purchase flowers that evoke the setting's beauty.
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art
Address: 410 Third Avenue S.E.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.366.7503
Fax: 319.366.4111
E-mail: gro.amrc|ofni#gro.amrc|ofni
Website: www.crma.org
Contact: Terence Pitts, Executive Director
Purpose: On December 9, 1989, the $10 million Cedar Rapids Museum of Art building opened as the new home of the 100-year-old Cedar Rapids Art Association. Architects designed the 63,000- square-foot facility that encompasses a restored 1905 Beaux Arts building, a former Carnegie Library, along with a newly constructed gallery.
The museum features a distinguished collection of art, including Ancient Roman portrait busts. The permanent collection includes works by Marvin D. Cone, Grant Wood, Mauricio Lasansky, and Malvina. In addition, special exhibitions by local, national and international artists are frequently available.
Nearby is the museum's newly obtained Grant Wood Studio. This building is where Grant Wood lived and worked from 1924 until 1934. During this period he was at the height of his artistic skill; it was here where he painted American Gothic. Information regarding guided tours of the Grant Wood Studios is available at the Museum.
Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre
Address: 1120 Second Avenue S.E.
Cedar Rapids, IA 52403
Telephone: 319.365.7401
319.366.8591 (Box Office)
Fax: 319.365.0494
E-mail: gro.arepo-rc|kecilahcimv#gro.arepo-rc|kecilahcimv
Website: www.cr-opera.org
Purpose: The mission of the Cedar Rapids Opera Theatre is to advance opera as a vital, living American art form, and to develop the artists who create it as well as the audience that appreciates and supports it.
Cedar Rapids Symphony
Address: 205 Second Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.366.8203
800.369.8863
E-mail: gro.ynohpmysrc|eciffoxob#gro.ynohpmysrc|eciffoxob (Box Office)
gro.ynohpmysrc|thgirwj#gro.ynohpmysrc|thgirwj
Website: www.crsymphony.org
Contact: Jason Wright, Executive Director
Purpose: Established in 1922, the Cedar Rapids Symphony is recognized nationally as an exemplary, full-service professional orchestra. The CRSO offers a complete range of concert series (Masterworks, Pops, Chamber, Discovery, and Youth), operates an extensive education program including an industry-hailed Symphony School, and is actively engaged in many community partnerships. The Symphony School enrollment is more than 900. The CRSO maintains a formal partnership with the Cedar Rapids Community School District. This relationship, which reaches 40,000 children, has been recognized as a national model by the National Endowment for the Arts.
For more than eight decades, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra Association has been an active participant in the life of Cedar Rapids. During this time it received frequent national attention. TIME magazine described it as "a model for the whole country" while Bernard Holland of The New York Times described "an orchestra of such solid accomplishment" in a feature article. Moreover, the CRSO has received favorable mention in the Washington Post, the Wall Street Journal, and SYMPHONY magazine. The education programs have been similarly recognized by the NEA and the Kennedy Center. In every case, praise has been offered for the orchestra's integration with the community, the extensive educational program and the exceptionally high quality of the orchestra's performances.
Creative Writing/Live at Prairie Lights
Iowa Writers' Workshop
Address: 102 Dey House 507
N. Clinton Street
Iowa City IA 52242-1408
Telephone: 319.335.0416
E-mail: ude.awoiu|tsew-bed#ude.awoiu|tsew-bed
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~iww/index.html
International Writing Program
Address: Shambaugh House
430 N. Clinton Street
Iowa City IA 52242-2020
Telephone: 319.335.0128
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~iwp
Prairie Lights Bookstore
Address: 15 S. Dubuque St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Telephone: 319.337.2681
Website: www.prairielightsbooks.com
Purpose: Iowa City is a literary center of international stature, boasting a schedule of readings and other public literary events equaled only by much larger cities. The catalysts for Iowa City's literary life are the Iowa Writers' Workshop and the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa.
The Writers' Workshop was the first creative writing degree program in a U.S. university, and it has served as a blueprint for university-based creative writing programs, which have collectively transformed the terrain of American literary life.
The program has produced more than a dozen winners of the Pulitzer Prize, several U.S. Poet Laureates and numerous winners of the National Book Award and other major literary honors. The Workshop presents numerous public readings by faculty, student and guest writers throughout the academic year.
The International Writing Program "a nominee for the Nobel Peace Prize" is a one-of-a-kind program that assembles a community of prominent foreign writers each fall in Iowa City. Throughout the years, nearly a thousand writers from 115 countries have completed residencies that have included public readings, panel discussions, theatrical productions, symposiums and lectures.
Prairie Lights, an independent bookstore in downtown Iowa City, is the site of many of the readings by Writers' Workshop and IWP writers, as well as a regular stop on the book-promotion tours of leading fiction writers, poets and non-fiction writers. Many of the Prairie Lights readings are broadcast live on UI radio station WSUI, and can be heard worldwide on the station's Web site, wsui.uiowa.edu.
Hancher Auditorium
Address: Hancher Auditorium, University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: 319.335.1130
319.335.1160 (Box office)
1.800.HANCHER (Box office)
Fax: 319.335.1180
TDD: 319.335.1158
E-mail: ude.awoiu|eciffo-xob-rehcnah#ude.awoiu|eciffo-xob-rehcnah
Website: www.hancher.uiowa.edu/
The latest schedule of arts events at the University of Iowa is available online at www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa. The calendar is updated daily, so event listings on the Website represent the most up-to-the-minute information available.
Purpose: Hancher Auditorium is a state-of-the-art venue for big-name performing artists, major dance companies and touring Broadway shows. It also has developed an international reputation for innovative programming and nurturing the performing arts through commissions, residencies and premieres of more than 100 commissions during the last two decades. Hancher's commitment to education includes a host of events for school children, and extends throughout the state via the Iowa Communications Network. The auditorium is also an educational laboratory for UI students as the site of major UI dance and music productions.
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum
Address: 210 Parkside Drive
Box 488
West Branch, IA 52358
Telephone: 319.643.5301
E-mail: vog.aran|yrarbil.revooh#vog.aran|yrarbil.revooh
Website: www.hoover.nara.gov
Purpose: The Herbert Hoover Presidential Library-Museum was opened to the public on August 10, 1962, President Hoover's 88th birthday. In the years since, more than 3 million visitors have toured the museum and more than 2,300 scholars from every state in the union and a dozen foreign countries have utilized the library's 7 million pages of documentary holdings. As a result there is an increased understanding of the life and times of America's 31st president, known around the world as the "Great Humanitarian."
In recent years, the Library-Museum has been transformed into a nationally recognized center for the study of 20th-century history and the American presidency. Beginning in 1988, it has sponsored major exhibits featuring personal memorabilia from every U.S. President and First Lady, a pioneering look at World War I, an unprecedented display of presidential gifts and exciting exhibits on the "Roaring Twenties," the Civil War, and other subjects of broad public appeal.
Simultaneously, the library redoubled efforts to locate and collect documentation pertaining to the Hoover Era. In addition to the papers of Herbert Hoover, the manuscript holdings include those of Lewis Strauss, Gerald P. Nye, Felix Morley, Clark Mollenhoff, Robert E. Wood, Westbrook Pegler, Laura Ingalls Wilder and many more. More that 150 collections make the Library an important center for the study of conservative journalistic thought, agricultural economics, famine relief, atomic energy and governmental reorganization.
Since its dedication, The Hoover Library-Museum has welcomed many distinguished visitors, including seven American presidents: Hoover, Truman, Eisenhower, Johnson, Nixon, Ford and Reagan. Several First Ladies have visited the library, including Mamie Eisenhower, Lady Bird Johnson, Pat Nixon and Rosalynn Carter in September 1990.
Continuing in this tradition, former President Ronald Reagan rededicated the Library August 8, 1992. At the end of a massive expansion and renovation project, the new Library-Museum has grown from 32,000 to 44,500 square feet. Ten-thousand-square-feet are devoted to seven museum galleries telling of Hoover's 50 years of public service. Changing exhibits are displayed in the handsome William Quarton Gallery. The redesigned Library-Museum also includes a 180-seat auditorium, a multi-purpose room that accommodates 60, a conference room that seats 30, and a private meeting room designed for 15 people. The $8 million facelift was a public-private partnership, with federal support supplying $5 million for bricks and mortar. The project was supplemented with $3 million raised by the Hoover Presidential Library Association for new exhibits and educational programming.
Iowa Artisan's Gallery
Address: 207 East Washington St.
Iowa City, IA 52240
Telephone: 319.351.8686
1.877.439.6554
E-mail: ten.nolava|snasitra#ten.nolava|snasitra
Website: www.iowa-artisans-gallery.com
Purpose: The Iowa Artisan's Gallery displays contemporary crafts and selected contemporary fine art with a focus on Midwestern specialties. Owned by local artists, the gallery prides itself on connecting with its community. Besides its regularly rotating exhibition halls, the Iowa Artisan's Gallery connects several of the city's art openings through the Iowa City Gallery Walk.
Legion Arts
Address: Legion Arts | CSPS
1103 Third St SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.364.1580
E-mail: gro.stranoigel|nhoj#gro.stranoigel|nhoj
Website: www.legionarts.org
Contact: F. John Herbert
Purpose: Legion Arts is an award-winning nonprofit group dedicated to the creation, presentation and impact of contemporary art. Based at CSPS, a former Czech social hall on the edge of downtown Cedar Rapids, Legion Arts presents cutting-edge art, music, theatre, film and other events throughout the year. Programs are free or affordable; the atmosphere is inclusive and eclectic. With a well-established emphasis on cultural diversity, Legion Arts programs regularly feature women, people of color, gay & lesbian artists and international companies. A typical season includes artists from more than 20 countries, and a wide range of cultural traditions.
Museum of Natural History
Address: 10 Macbride Hall
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: 319.335.0480
Fax: 319.335.0653
E-mail: ude.awoiu|leznerb-divad#ude.awoiu|leznerb-divad
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~nathist/
Contact: David Brenzel
Purpose: The Museum, second oldest in the United States west of the Mississippi River, was established in 1858 when the Iowa General Assembly directed the University to house specimens from the State Natural History and Geological Surveys in a cabinet of natural history located in the Old Capitol building. The directive was in response to a faculty petition requesting funding for specimens and space to support teaching in the natural sciences. The appeal compared Iowa's paucity resources to the abundant collections managed by several leading Eastern universities in the United States, as well as the British Museum
Old Capital Museum
Address: Old Capitol Museum
24 Old Capitol
The University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: 319.335.0548
E-mail: ude.awoiu|epmirt-alemaP#ude.awoiu|epmirt-alemaP
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~oldcap
Contact: Pam Trimpe
Purpose: Construction of Old Capitol, the oldest building on the University of Iowa campus, began in 1839. The cornerstone was laid in 1840, and the building was first occupied in 1842. That same year it became the third capitol building for the Territory of Iowa. Four years later, Iowa became a State of the Union, and Old Capitol assumed a new title: First Capitol of the State of Iowa. In 1857, Westward migration caused the capital site to be moved to Des Moines, and the building was given to the young University of Iowa to serve as its first permanent home.
Initially, Old Capitol was the entire University, providing space for classrooms, offices, a chapel, a library, an armory, and even a room for physical education classes. With the growth of the University many buildings were constructed, and by 1970 Old Capitol housed mainly the central administration. At that time the decision was made to restore the structure to reflect the three major occupancies of its history: the Territory, the State, and the University. On July 3, 1976, Old Capitol was presented to the public, restored as a living museum. Two outstanding awards were given to Old Capitol during the restoration period: it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972; and in 1976 it gained prestigious recognition as a National Historic Landmark.
Old Capitol was restored to preserve a historically and architecturally distinguished building. The effort served to educate students and others in the nation about Iowa's early history and its significance then, now and for the future. The building now serves its purpose by holding cultural events, displays and guided tours.
A November 20, 2001, fire destroyed the cupola and dome of Old Capitol and caused extensive soot, smoke and water damage to the interior. The museum is now closed for recovery, rebuilding and restoration. The building will be reopened to the public in the spring of 2006.
Old Creamery Theatre Company
Address: The Old Creamery Theatre Company
39 38th Avenue, Suite 200
Amana, IA 52203
Telephone: 1.800.35AMANA (toll free box office)
319.622.6194 (local box office)
319.622.6034 (business office)
Fax: 319.622.6187
Website: www.oldcreamery.com
Purpose: The Old Creamery Theatre Company is proud to be the oldest professional theatre company in the state of Iowa. Since 1983, the Company has operated in agreement with the Actors' Equity Association, which gives the theatre access to a vast pool of professional actors throughout the United States.
The Creamery performs on the Price Creek Stage at the Amana Colonies Visitors Center. This theater space, located outside the historic village of Amana, is 10 minutes north of Interstate 80, 30 minutes southwest of Cedar Rapids, and 30 minutes west of Iowa City. Built in 1988, the facility houses a 275-seat auditorium known for its spacious and comfortable seating.
During a season that begins in the spring and runs through December, many Creamery patrons take advantage of the quaint shops and traditional German-style restaurants of the Amana Colonies before coming to the theater for an evening of entertainment. In 1971, Thomas P. Johnson and nine theater colleagues realized a dream and formed a professional theater company. Recognizing that a vast majority of Iowans were living in rural communities with little opportunity to experience the arts, they set out to create a tradition of live, professional theater among the people of Iowa and the Midwest. Following this mission, they found a vacant building that had once served the community of Garrison, Iowa, as a co-op dairy.
For more than 20 years, The Creamery's main performance venue was the Garrison facility. In 1988, in an effort to attract a larger audience base, the Company began performing in the Amana Colonies during the summer months. During the next nine years, the seasons in Amana grew in length. In 1996, the Company performed its last repertory season in Garrison. It is now based in Amana.
Since its founding, the Company has been dedicated to performing a wide variety of high-quality live, professional theater for audiences from all walks of life. The company constantly strives to perform proven as well as untried dramatic works. Within the reality of continuing change, the dream has lived on and inspired a very unique and successful professional theater company.
The Old Creamery Theatre Company is a not-for-profit company. Today in Amana, The Creamery remains dedicated to its founding goals, and continues to tour to schools and communities throughout Iowa.
Paramount Theatre
Address: 123 Third Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.398.5211
Website: www.uscellularcenter.com
Contact: Sharon Cummins, Executive Director
Purpose: The Paramount Theatre is one of only 300 movie palaces remaining in the United States, according to a USA Today report. Built in the architectural extravagance of the 1920s, this 1901-seat theatre hosts more than 170 events a year including concerts, fundraisers, corporate meetings, dance recitals and a Broadway Series. Among its housed organizations are the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Cedar Rapids Area Theatre Organ Society and Community Concerts
Riverside Theatre
Address: 213 N. Gilbert St
Iowa City, IA 52245
Telephone: 319.338.7672
E-mail: gro.ertaehtedisrevir|ofni#gro.ertaehtedisrevir|ofni
Website: www.riversidetheatre.org
Contact: Nan Martin, Patron Services Manager
Purpose: Riverside Theatre is a professional theater entertaining audiences with intimate, engaging productions from the classics to world premieres. The season includes the annual Riverside Theatre Shakespeare Festival in Iowa City's beautiful outdoor theater in City Park; contemporary plays and musicals in an intimate indoor theater on Gilbert Street; and educational programs for young people and adults.
Theatre Cedar Rapids
Address: 102 3rd Street SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.366.8592 (Business office)
319.366.8591 (Box office)
E-mail: gro.rcertaeht|rcertaeht#gro.rcertaeht|rcertaeht
Website: www.theatrecr.org
Purpose: Among the largest non-profit community theaters in the nation, Theatre Cedar Rapids' home is the magnificently refurbished 512-seat Iowa Theatre building in the heart of downtown Cedar Rapids. With nearly 600 active volunteers and a full-time staff of 13, the theater offers a September to July season of musicals, comedies, dramas and the classics in addition to theater education opportunities for youth and adults.
The Carl and Mary Koehler History Center
Address: 615 First Avenue SE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52401
Telephone: 319.362.1501
Fax: 319.362.6790
Website: www.historycenter.org
Contact: Martha Aldridge, Executive Director
Purpose: In 1969, the Carl and Mary Koehler History Center began as the Linn County Historical Museum Association. From its early days, preserving the heritage of Linn County has been prominent in the hearts and minds of its volunteers.
By the early 1990s, the Linn County Historical Museum Association had transformed into the Linn County Historical Society, and The History Center became a museum on Eighth Avenue at First Street in Cedar Rapids.
As additional staff was hired, the goals of the museum became more ambitious. In 1997, a capital campaign began to build a new museum on First Avenue and Sixth Street.
On June 15, 1999, The History Center opened its doors and helped the city of Cedar Rapids celebrate its Sesquicentennial. That year brought almost 28,000 people through the doors of The History Center and 5,400 students participated in its programs.
In October 2000, TimeQuest was introduced at a world debut gala. TimeQuest is the first-ever 3-D real-time virtual representation of a historic city. Museum visitors climb into a specially designed time machine and drive through downtown Cedar Rapids circa 1920.
TimeQuest was created in collaboration with The History Center, Digital Artifacts, the University of Iowa and a multi-disciplinary team of more than 50 curators, scholars, volunteers and students.
The National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library
Address: National Czech & Slovak Museum and Library
30 16th Avenue SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Telephone: 319.362.8500
Fax: 319.363.2209
E-mail: gro.lmscn|ofni#gro.lmscn|ofni
Website: www.ncsml.org
Purpose: The NCSML offers the general public four exhibit galleries filled with items that explain the history and culture of the Czech Republic and Slovakia. "Homelands: The Story of the Czech and Slovak People" is the permanent exhibit. Three special exhibit galleries focus on a variety of Czech and Slovak topics in greater detail. The library holds an impressive collection of books and archival materials pertaining to Czech and Slovak history and culture. In addition, the Museum Store carries hard-to-find items made in the Czech Republic and Slovakia.
Eligibility: The museum is open to the public, and memberships are available to those who wish to offer further support.
University of Iowa Division of Performing Arts
Address: Division of Performing Arts
1004 Voxman Music Building
Iowa City, IA 52242
Telephone: 319.335.3213
Website: www.uiowa.edu/~dpa/
The latest schedule of arts events at the University of Iowa is available online at www.uiowa.edu/artsiowa.
The calendar is updated daily, so event listings on the Website represent the most up-to-the-minute information available.
Purpose: The Division of Performing Arts is part of the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts & Sciences and is comprised of the Department of Dance, the School of Music, the Department of Theatre Arts, and the Center for New Music and Arts Share. Established in July 2000, the Division fosters collaboration and artistic exchange between the artists in each of its component fields, and works to heighten and expand public awareness of artistic and scholarly work.
School of Music: With a faculty of artist-teachers in all major performance areas and approximately 450 students majoring in music, the School of Music offers numerous performances ranging from solo recitals by faculty and students, and concerts by faculty chamber ensembles to concerts by orchestras, bands, choral ensembles, jazz bands, percussion ensembles and other large groups. Most performances are available to the public at no cost, displaying a wide variety of genres, styles and repertoire choices. Ticketed events include the Signature Series of concerts by the University Symphony, presented throughout the academic year in Hancher Auditorium and productions of the Martha-Ellen Tye Opera Theater, presented in the spring and summer.
Department of Theatre Arts: The Department of Theatre Arts is one of America's oldest and most-respected drama schools, with a special emphasis on the creation and production of new work. Public performances range from a University Theatres Mainstage season combining the standard theater repertory with contemporary theater and new collaborative projects to readings and small-scale productions of new scripts by students in the Iowa Playwrights Workshop. Each spring, the department showcases the best new student scripts in the Iowa New Play Festival, the most ambitious festival of new theater at any American university. In the summer, the department sponsors a professional Actors Equity company, Iowa Summer Rep, which presents a unique approach to summer theater: Each summer season is a festival of plays by a single contemporary playwright.
Department of Dance: The UI Dance Department is unusual in its inclusion of both ballet and contemporary dance curricula. A recent survey indicated UI graduates in professional ballet companies outnumber the alumni of any other collegiate dance department. In addition to a major annual production in Hancher Auditorium "the Dance Gala" the department presents a busy schedule of thesis concerts, productions of new student and faculty choreography and guest artists in the intimate Space/ Place Theatre of UI North Hall. Dancers in Company, a touring repertory ensemble, perform both on-campus and in communities throughout the region.
University of Iowa Museum of Art
Address: 150 North Riverside Drive
100 Museum of Art
Iowa City, IA 52242-1789
Telephone: 319.335.1727
Fax: 319.335.3677
E-mail: ude.awoiu|amiu#ude.awoiu|amiu
Website: www.uiowa.edu/uima
Hours: Wednesday, Saturday, Sunday: noon to 5 p.m.
Thursday and Friday: noon to 9 p.m.
Purpose: This is more than a Museum of Art - it is a museum dedicated to art. The Museum's collections include European and American art since 1900. A highlight is Jackson Pollock's Mural of 1943, a landmark of American painting. The UIMA also has one of North America's most important collections of African art. Other collections include Pre-Columbian art and prints, drawings, and photographs. The Museum has an active program of changing exhibitions and an extensive roster of programs for all ages and interests.
