Creative Ideas, People, and Projects in the Midwest and Beyond
Stories from the Creativity News Desk-
July 1, 2025
Transforming Invasive Plants into Paper That Grows Wildflowers
By Amy “Frankie” Felegy
In their mobile studio, Anna Haglin and James Kleiner travel across Minnesota teaching folks the art of sustainable papermaking.
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Turning the Chicago River into a Floating Music Venue
June 26, 2025
These ‘secret river shows’ are a floating, grassroots musician network atop the once-heavily polluted waterway.
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This Iowa Folk School is Making Hot Metalworking Cool Again
June 24, 2025
Artisans are clanking away inside a new forging studio at Vesterheim, the National Norwegian-American Museum and Folk Art School.
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Wash & Mosh: An Unlikely Home for All-Ages DIY Music
June 23, 2025
The last-standing storefront of a once-expansive laundromat-bar chain in central Ohio has welcomed hardcore music lovers for the last decade.
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Celebrate Make Music Day, the Midwestern Way
June 20, 2025
On Saturday, June 21, more than 35 cities and towns across the Midwest are taking part in a global celebration of music-making, and you can join in!
Popular
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‘Silly Fish Parade’ Exalts Springtime, Cardboard, and the Smelt Queen
By Amy “Frankie” Felegy
This annual smelt parade along Lake Superior reels back to a niche tradition of catching the small, silvery fish in the dark of night.
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How Sign is Transforming a Wisconsin Stage
By Jacqueline Kehoe
Via deaf artists, American Players Theatre in Spring Green, Wisconsin, is redirecting the spotlight.
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The Midwestern Artists Powering Pinball’s Comeback
By Alana Horton
Pinball’s never looked this good. Meet the Midwestern artists reshaping an arcade classic with bold, hand-drawn illustrations.
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