Santa & the horsedrawn carriage rides- Celebrate the Season! this Saturday

Join us for Celebrate the Season, Saturday December 4, 10am- 5pm in downtown Iowa City. This event was extremely popular last year and offered many ways for families to enjoy the holiday season together. Twenty-four businesses in the central Downtown and near Northside host open house events. Santa arrives via horse-drawn wagon at Old Capitol Mall from 12-2pm. Horse-drawn wagon rides from 12-3pm were a big hit last year. Just before that, at the 11:45am Countdown to Santa's arrival, hear Carolers from the UI School of Music. Also at Old Capitol Town Center from 11-3pm: activities for kids hosted by the Iowa Children's Museum, Penny Bear, Gingerbread House displays (vote for your favorite), cookie decorating, and refreshments.

Musical events include Tom Nothnagle at Old Capitol Town Center from 1-3pm, and the Nutcracker at the Englert, 2pm & 7pm. All events except the Nutcracker are free. Nutcracker tickets are available at the Englert Theatre box office.   

Downtown businesses hosting holiday open houses from 10am-5pm include Austin-Burke, AKAR, Bella Joli, Catherine's, Chait Galleries, Cheap 'n Chic, Discerning Eye, Domby, Dulcinea, Glassando, Hands, Herteen & Stocker, Home Ec Workshop, Iowa Artisans Gallery, Lorenz 2a, Lyla's Boutique, MC Ginsberg, Modela, Raygun, Revival, r.s.v.p., Textiles, Velvet Coat and Zender's Salon. Hothouse Yoga offers yoga for kids 11:30-12.

Stop by and enjoy the fun!

snapshots: sidewalk sales, bargains on a super summer day

Following yesterday's  hottest-yet summer steambath, today was pure enjoyment in downtown Iowa City. Here are a few snapshots of sidewalk sales in progress.

Sidewalk Sales continue through Saturday. Downtown Businesses are also collecting canned food to benefit the Crisis Center. Each can qualifies the donor to one entry form for a drawing for one of three baskets, each containing more than $400 worth of gift coupons to downtown businesses.

Friends at Panchero's brought some of our downtown staffers some welcome complementary chips and salsa, then suffered through a 911 call with fire fighters in their kitchen area. Checking out the evening news: no mention, so hopefully Panchero's good karma allows them to slip out of this without harm. (Dulcinea, shown above)

Prairie Lights' stylish shade, pottery finds at Iowa Artisans Gallery

Hula skirts on sale tables at Domby's; Spring cleaning the  awning at Panchero's

Glassando's interview with stained glass artist James Thomas

Glassando owner Abby Restko shares her interview with stained glass artist James Thomas, whose work is on display now in the store through July 9.  Abby comments, "for formal art shows, artists are often asked to write an artist statement. While this highly edited formal statement can be informational, many times some of the original answers that helped develop the statement can  be more insightful." Visit Glassando's website or Facebook page for more information about this store, which is located in the Old Capitol Town Center.

And now, meet James Thomas: What first got me interested in stained glass? 
I enjoy  experimenting with the effects that stained glass has on the beauty of light.  This interest was probably sparked through researching the chemistry of plant pigments in graduate school. Many of the extracts I worked with in science were quite rich in color and interacted with light in interesting ways.  I enjoy the virtually limitless availability of stained glass colors, appreciate how opalescence affects the transmission and reflection of light and how different textures bend, concentrate and obscure light.  The essence of the artwork I aspire to create captures a dynamic interaction between light and glass. My stained glass often exhibit subtle and sometimes striking changes in brilliance and color depending on the intensity of light and angle of the sun over the course of a day or throughout the year. 

How long have you been working in stained glass?
Many of the techniques I currently use evolved from a formal class I had in 1997, are learned by reading literature and improvised through the process of doing stained glass.

What influences the subject matter of your pieces?

• I generally make geometric designs, landscapes, plants and animals
• Strength is taken into consideration in design process, reinforcement is used when needed.
• Piece shapes are designed according to what can be successfully scored and broken from glass sheets
• Curved pieces and irregular polygons may require multiple scores and breaks to yield a final shape.
• Most of my pieces are composed of irregular shaped polygons.
• My larger pieces tend to have areas of rather tiny pieces to show detail.

Beside Glassando, where has your work been displayed?
In the last year I have been accepted into the following juried shows:
1)    University of Iowa Fine Arts Council Thieves Market, Nov 2009
2)    HeartFest - at the Valley West Mall in Des Moines, Feb 2010
3)    University of Iowa Fine Arts Council  - Riverbank Art Festival, April 2010
4)    The Beaux Art Festival- Figge Museum Plaza – Davenport Iowa, May 2010
5)    Snake Alley Art Festival – Burlington, IA, June 20, 2010
6)    Before 2009, I made a commissions and for private individuals and for a non-profit group.

Check out KCRG's "Best Museum" - our own Museum of Natural History!

Our own University of Iowa's Museum of Natural History was recently voted the area's "Best Museum" on the KCRG A-list poll. That's not the only landmark for this wonderful and little-known gem on the UI Pentacrest in the heart of downtown Iowa City. The Museum recently celebrated twin anniversaries: the 150th anniversary of its founding, as well as the 25th Anniversaries of Iowa Hall and Rusty, the Giant Sloth. The museum store is a rich treasure trove of educational toys for kids of all ages. Not to be missed is the video thank-you card from children in honor of Rusty the Giant Sloth's 25th birthday.

Did you know? This Rusty the Giant Sloth is handmade from a wood and styrofoam armature plus hand sewn cow hair. Recent archaeological finds have unearthed more sloth bones in western Iowa. This finding is documented in the current exhibition at the Museum.

The Museum occupies several floors in Macbride Hall and was the first Natural History Museum west of the Mississippi. The University also houses the oldest Museum Studies program in the nation, founded in 1910. Children will love Bird Hall and also, the many mammal, geological and Native American displays. Iowa Hall has many favorites for adults and children alike, and families can download a family guide  to the museum, with coloring book features.

At a recent panel discussion featuring many of the original movers and shakers behind the Iowa Hall concept, it was apparent how important this concept is to our state's identity. Also obvious is the enormous amount of work, dedication and collaboration on the part of this pivotal group.

Currently on display, through August 1st, are two special exhibitions: Mysteries in the Valley of the Sloths, and "The U of I Through the Lens of Fred W. Kent." These are in addition to the ongoing displays. Summer hours are Tuesday through Saturday: 10am- 5pm; Sunday: 1 - 5pm. View more details about these exhibits here.