Education is always at the intersection of collaborations between trumpet master Wynton Marsalis and Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City.
The lights remain dark inside Hancher Auditorium, but for a few hours Thursday night, a visual spectacular exploded around the perimeter, drenching performers and viewers in a psychedelic swirl of light, sound, fog and dance.
Performing arts students at the University of Iowa and a visual arts company gave onlookers a night of light Thursday; when the pandemic has forced so many theaters into darkness.
On a bright sunny morning, Santa Fe-based artist Colette Hosmer and Hancher Auditorium’s Executive Director, Chuck Swanson, unveiled a new art installation, titled “Wellspring,” on Sept. 25.
With cuts to funding and its doors closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Hancher staff wrestles with what awaits them in the second act of the show.
This semester, students from the UI Department of Dance and School of Music have been taking class in various spaces at Hancher Auditorium. Hancher has long been known as the “largest classroom on campus,” and this collaboration with the Division of Performing Arts is a great example of that.
The COVID-19 pandemic has been financially devastating for Iowa’s Universities. Canceled or modified sports seasons coupled with an additional $8 million in cuts from the State Board of Regents is forcing difficult decisions on each campus.