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ICCA awards 11 organizations, three leaders at Ickys

By Joe Jennison

The Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance (ICCA) celebrated its fourth annual Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance Excellence in Innovation Awards (a.k.a. the Ickys) on Jan. 24 at Coe College.

The annual event celebrates Excellence in Innovation in Cultural Programming and included 12 live performances by local artists and 11 awards for cultural programming for events that took place in 2009.

Two individual awards also were given out as part of the event: The Larry Eckholt Award (for South Corridor Arts Advocacy) was given to Dan Brown from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, and the North Corridor Advocate Award was given posthumously to Eliot Keller from KZIA-FM Z102.9 and KGYM-AM 1600 ESPN.

The two advocate awards are sponsored by the Iowa City Area Convention and Visitors Bureau and the Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, respectively, in tribute and celebration of Eckholt's lifelong dedication to arts and culture. These awards seek to honor a community member/leader who exemplifies the same passion, commitment and advocacy to the cultural vitality of the Corridor as did Eckholt.

Brown has worked at the Iowa City Press-Citizen since 1991, where he is now as general manager. Brown has worked with many arts and culture organizations, serving on the boards of the Iowa Arts Festival, Iowa Children’s Museum, Summer of the Arts and the Iowa City Television Service.

The late Eliot Keller was a staunch advocate not only for the arts, but also for expanding cooperation among intergovernmental entities. Keller’s advocacy for the arts community created a ripple effect, causing results and leading others to witness and emulate his gift of self that has become his everlasting legacy.

Former Cedar Rapids Area Convention and Visitors Bureau Director Tim Boyle was also awarded a special award for leadership for his five-year term on the ICCA board and his lifetime of dedication and support of the area’s arts and culture community.

Other winners were:

--Children's Programming: Eastern Iowa Arts Academy After-School Programs - Eastern Iowa Arts Academy

--Dance Programming: Iowa Dance Fest - ACE Experiment

--Educational Programming: Schoolhouse Jazz - KCCK FM

--Locally Produced Festival: Third Annual Environmental Film Festival  - multiple sponsors

--History Exhibit or Programming: No Roads Lead to Buxton: A Black Man's Utopia-African American Museum of Iowa

--Music Programming: Landfall Festival of World Music - Legion Arts and Made in Iowa (Celebrating Iowa Composers) - Orchestra Iowa (tie)

--Theatre Programming: "From the Homefront" - Iowa Theatre Artists Co.

--Visual Arts Exhibit or Programming: Norman Rockwell: Fact & Fiction - Cedar Rapids Museum of Art

--Collaborative Award between ICCA members: All in a Day Play Festival - Dreamwell Theatre, City Circle Acting Co., Englert Theatre, Summer of the Arts

--Reaching Out Collaborative Award between ICCA members and non-ICCA members: Take Flight Exhibit - Iowa Children's Museum with Rockwell Collins, NASA, University of Iowa and Integrated DNA

Honor these individuals and all other Icky winners by attending an arts and culture event this month. Below is a list of some of the area’s offerings. As always, many more are posted at www.culturalcorridor.org

“End Days” by Deborah Zoe Laufer is a comedy play about “science, religion and suburbia.” The play will be performed at Riverside Theatre, 213 N. Gilbert St., Iowa City, as part of Riverside Theatre’s current season. See the play Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. or Sundays at 2 p.m. through Feb. 21. Tickets are $12 to $26. Reservations and information are available by calling (319) 338-7672.

The University of Iowa Division of Performing Arts in collaboration with Hancher Auditorium will present theater artist and UI graduate Rinde Eckert in “Eye Piece” at the E.C. Mabie Theatre, on the University of Iowa campus. The play will utilize performers from the UI Theatre Arts and Dance departments and the School of Music to tell the story about an artist losing his sight. See the play Fridays and Saturdays, Feb. 5, 6, 12 and 13 at 8 p.m.; or Sundays Feb. 7 and 14, at 2 p.m. Tickets are $17, with discounts for seniors and students. Reservations and information are available by calling (800) HANCHER.

The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City, has two big touring events coming its way this February. The Second City returns with the new show looking back at 50 years of classic sketch comedy. See it Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $27. The Peking Acrobats will perform Saturday, Feb. 13, at 2 and 7 p.m. Tickets are $30. Reservations and information are available by calling (319) 688-2653.

The University of Iowa Symphony Orchestra will perform at the Iowa Memorial Union, on the University of Iowa campus, Iowa City, on Wednesday, Feb. 17, at 7:30 p.m. The program will include works by William Grant Still, Maurice Ravel, Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein. It’s free.  More information is available by calling (319) 335-3213.

Hancher Auditorium has three events this month as part of its “Can’t Contain Us” season. See “An Evening with Roseanne Cash” on Wednesday, Feb. 10, at 7:30 p.m., at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Tickets are $10 to $47. The Winard Harper Sextet will perform on Friday, Feb. 12, at 7:30 p.m., at City High School, 1900 Morningside Drive, Iowa City. Tickets are $10 to $25. The YL Male Voice Choir Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m., at West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave., Iowa City. Tickets are $10 to $35. Reservations and information are available by calling (800) HANCHER.

Orchestra Iowa is offering a music program called “Cupid’s Arrow” this month that will include several pieces that explore the subject of love from different perspectives. See it Saturday, Feb. 13, at 8 p.m. at Sinclair Auditorium, on the Coe College campus, 1220 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids; or Sunday, Feb. 14, at West High School, 2901 Melrose Ave., Iowa City.  $14 to $39 through (800) 369-TUNE.

Iowa City Community Theatre will offer the musical “Wonderful Town” Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18, 19 and 20, at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 21, at 2 p.m. at The Englert Theatre, 221 E. Washington St., Iowa City. Tickets are $15. Reservations and information are available by calling (319) 688-2653.

The University of Iowa Dance Department will offer its annual Faculty/Grad Concert Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Feb. 18, 19 and 20, at 8 p.m., at Space/Place Theatre, on the University of Iowa campus, Iowa City. Tickets are $12. Reservations and information are available by calling (800) HANCHER.