Cedar Rapids artist Vaclav O. Hasek inaugurates the new CSPS first-floor gallery with a show addressing the flood of 2008 and issues of cultural identity. Hasek’s work explores the curious talent Americans have for re-inventing themselves and their culture. “We don’t need to look to any other authority to produce our culture,” he says, "... read more
  • Fri Aug 26 - Wed Feb 29 2011
  • CSPS Hall
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This exhibition brings together four master printmakers from four areas of the United States: Robert Kennon (Missouri), Kent Kapplinger (North Dakota), Catherine Chauvin (Colorado) and Ralph Slatton (Tennessee). These artists have created a unique collection of prints in a variety of media from etching, engraving, lithography and silkscreen. Their ... read more
  • Wed Jan 25 - Sat Mar 31 2012
  • CSPS Hall
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Gary Hootman has spent the last 27 years well… refining the epic and unpredictable art of wood-fired ceramics. The ancient firing process is an around-the-clock affair sometimes lasting up to six days. It is not for the faint hearted. Gary built his studio, and the first of his wood-fired kilns, on land owned by his grandmother near Cedar Rap... read more
  • Wed Jan 25 - Sat Mar 31 2012
  • CSPS Hall
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Works from the Please Consider video series Michelle Ellsworth is a dancer, choreographer, video maker, writer, cartoonist and web designer. Her performance work has been produced at Jacob’s Pillow, Dance Theater Workshop, On The Boards, DiverseWorks and The Telluride Experimental Film Festival. Her video work has been presented at P.S. 122, t... read more
  • Thu Feb 16 - Sat Mar 31 2012
  • CSPS Hall
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This show is sold out Playing for Change is a YouTube phenomenon (see below), a nonprofit raising funds to build music schools throughout the world, and a crack live band mixing classic American soul with salsa, South African township jive and more. Grammy-winning producer/engineer/filmmaker Mark Johnson founded Playing for C... read more
Louisiana's four-time Grammy-nominated Pine Leaf Boys are celebrated around the world for their inimitable brand of Cajun music and youthful exuberance. The Pine Leaf Boys capture the feel of a south Louisiana roadhouse on a Saturday night. Two-steps, waltzes and shuffles — highlighted by accordion, fiddle and guitar — keep the dance floor full... read more
For 44 years, American Advertising Federation: Cedar Rapids-Iowa City (AAF: CR-IC) has recognized the best advertising in eastern Iowa with the ADDY® Awards. Each year, local designers, writers and other creatives enter their work in print, broadcast, electronic, outdoor and mobile advertising categories. Local winners then compete against other w... read more
  • 6:30 pm
  • Sat Feb 25 2012
  • CSPS Hall
  • $45 advance | $55 door
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“…comfortably at the sweet spot where bluegrass and jazz meet…” — Country Weekly “…Missy leads her quintet of young acoustic aces through bluegrass, newgrass, pop and jazz terrains with solid yet inventive support, fluid solos and engaging vocals.”  — Bass Player Magazine “With her incredible bass playin... read more
"The most impressive instrumentalist I've ever heard." — Johnny Cash "He has an uncanny ability to breathe new life into the familiar. His storytelling has the richness of fine literature." — Washington Post John McCutcheon is one of our most respected and loved folksingers. As an instrumentalist, he is a master of a d... read more
Kate Campbell’s clear-water vocal delivery, eloquent gift for storytelling (drawing comparisons to Southern writers Flannery O'Connor, Eudora Welty and William Faulkner) and easy command of American music styles, have earned her recognition from critics and peers alike. “I can’t think of many Nashville troubadours whose albums I look forwa... read more
The Makem and Spain Brothers are song collectors in the spirit of their forefathers, preserving old folk songs and introducing a new generation to a rich musical history. With strong male vocals, a mix of boisterous sing-alongs and touching ballads, The Makem and Spain Brothers are, according to the New York Chronicle, "the definitive Iris... read more
“Powerhouse quintet of traditional musicians with attitude…bringing drawing room grandeur and high spirits together”   — Irish Times Merging “swagger with traditional expertise,” the Irish lads in Slide are re-energizing Celtic music with diverse songs ranging from soulful and sorrowful to contagiously energetic. ... read more
With the drive of Celtic fiddling, spontaneity of jazz, soul of the blues and intricacies of chamber music, the Jeremy Kittel Band consistently captivates audiences around the world. Jeremy is joined by some of the most dynamic young performers on the American acoustic music scene – the four-piece band usually includes the core members Josh Pinkh... read more
Peppino D’Agostino isn’t just a virtuoso guitarist; he composes, arranges, collaborates, improvises and will often sing, in both English and Italian. D’Agostino has been hailed as “a guitarist’s guitarist” by Acoustic Guitar Magazine as well as “a giant of the acoustic guitar” by The San Diego Reader. <... read more
“… singers and songwriters Emma Beaton and Bridget Kearney bring wry existential intelligence and a haunting, Celtic/Canadian interpretive quality to their delicate yet determined tales of contemporary dislocation and off-kilter love. Kind of like a more accessible, less pleased with themselves Nickel Creek, these are virtuoso art folkies who u... read more
With a lightning-fast mind, the political boldness of Chuck D and the sixth-groove sense of Fela Kuti, this Ghanaian-born, New York-based MC, composer and producer unleashes psychedelic Afrobeat colors and triple-time rhymes. And it's all set to swirls of live brass, distorted guitars and the crackle and pop of old amplifiers. Born and raised in... read more
The California Guitar Trio's stunning virtuosity and sly sense of humor have earned them an enthusiastic following and wide notoriety. Their whirlwind fusion of classical, rock, blues, jazz, world music and progressive has crossover buzz in the progressive, acoustic and classical music scenes. Paul Richards of Salt Lake City, Utah, Bert Lams of ... read more
“Pure, irresistible joy” — Bob Boilen, NPR “Joyful Mexo-Americana fusion, with virtuosic musical skill and virtuous harmonies” —TIME.com The David Wax Museum fuses traditional Mexican folk with American roots and indie rock to create an utterly unique Mexo-Americana sound. Combining Latin rhythms, call-and-respo... read more
The Steel Wheels explore the territory between blues and bluegrass, from old-time sing-alongs to foot-stompin’ fiddle tunes. “Imagine a blend of the passion of the Avett Brothers, the instrumentals of Old Crow Medicine Show, and then sprinkle in the backwoods feel of The Legendary Shack Shakers,” wrote John Walker in Americana Roots Review... read more
Imagine yourself in the idyllic French countryside in the 1930s. Sometime before dark, a gypsy caravan sets up camp in a field outside of town, luring the locals out for an evening’s fun. The wanderers travel with a film projector, pointing it at the side of a barn. As the images flicker to life beneath the stars, gypsy musicians play their guita... read more
The acclaimed Hot Club of San Francisco and the popular French vocalist Isabelle Fontaine have created “Meet Me in Paris,” a charming concert invoking an unforgettable Parisian experience. Love songs and driving gypsy jazz are a combination made famous during the ‘20s and ‘30s in Paris by the legendary Hot Club de France, Django Reinhard... read more
Her songs have been covered by the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Bonnie Raitt and Aaron Neville, but no one else sings them like Karla. “I can’t tell you what it is, exactly,” fellow singer-songwriter Catie Curtis said. “I can only say that when I hear her aching and unadorned voice, I slump in my chair in a deeply satisfied, melancholy way. Bon... read more
Born in 1935 into one of North America’s foremost folk music families, Peggy Seeger is a singer of traditional American songs and an activist songmaker who has written hundreds of songs, the best known probably “The Ballad of Springhill” and “I’m Gonna Be an Engineer.” She plays six instruments (piano, guitar, 5-string banjo, Appalachia... read more
SPT Theatre’s Writers’ Room series comes to CSPS Hall for a series of shows set around the theme “Games People Play.” Each show explores life’s twists and turns through the lens of popular board games. The fourth, “Clue,” deals with the time when we finally “get a clue,” when we come to understand what is truly important in our... read more
La Guitara is a mini guitar festival of influential female guitarists. Brainchild of singer-songwriter and axe-woman Patty Larkin, La Guitara, explores the contribution of women to the evolution of modern guitar by explosing the contribution of 14 guitarists from various genres. Join us in hearing fresh sounds of the guitar like you have never hear... read more
Desert blues/rock guitar sensation Bombino has made fans of Dave Matthews, My Morning Jacket, Arcade Fire and North Mississippi All Stars. His electrifying jams capture the spirit of resistance while echoing with guitar riffs reminiscent of fellow Africans Tinariwen and Ali Farka Touré, not to mention rock and blues icons such as Jimi Hendrix, Joh... read more
  • 7:00 pm
  • Mon Apr 16 2012
  • CSPS Hall
  • $17 advance | $21 door
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Eric Taylor is considered a sage musician, a lyrical genius and a master of the guitar. Those not familiar with the Texas singer/ songwriter jigsaw puzzle probably already know a lot about Taylor. Those not familiar with him by name, have probably heard his songs performed by the likes of Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett. Taylor’s fans and devotees... read more
The word "legend" is often used to describe Jonathan Edwards, an artist whose rich career has ranged from folk/rock to country and bluegrass. He is best known for the 1971 hit "Sunshine," which brought him instant fame and was inspired by a less than pleasant draft board physical. "An Edwards performance is an unforgettable roller-coaster ride w... read more
SPT Theatre’s Writers’ Room series comes to CSPS Hall for a series of shows set around the theme “Games People Play.” Each show explores life’s twists and turns through the lens of popular board games. The fourth, “Sorry,” deals with the period when we look back and count our memories, the thanks and the regrets. We weigh the two a... read more