Creative Ideas, People, and Projects in the Midwest and Beyond
Stories from the Creativity News Desk-
February 20, 2025
‘East Boogie’ Inspired Blues, Jazz, Rock ‘n’ Roll, and Joy
By Calyssa Zellars
Lifelong residents of East St. Louis saw some of the world’s greatest entertainers hone their craft on their hometown stages.
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Meet Stafford C. Berry, Jr., an Artist-Scholar Teaching Embodiment Through African Dance
February 19, 2025
The Bloomington-based director of IU’s African American Dance Company continues a long lineage of dance, community, and exploration.
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East St. Louis, the Entertainment Gateway Across the Mississippi
February 18, 2025
The city’s venues provided respite from the grind of industrial life—embracing the joy of music, dancing, and community.
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This Giant Kite Festival Turns Winter Blues into the Coolest Hues
February 11, 2025
Iowa’s Color the Wind Kite Festival, the biggest of its kind in the Midwest, is in its second decade of flying massive kites in the middle of winter.
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Three Midwestern ‘Emerging Chefs’ in Top Culinary Awards List
February 10, 2025
If selected, they would be one of four Midwesterners to receive this early career recognition since the category’s inception in 2000.
Popular
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Need a Mental Health Boost? Talking Hot Dog is Here
By Amy Felegy
A Minnesota-based comic book artist is sharing colorful stories about battling anxiety and other mental health gremlins.
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Game Time: Reviving the Ojibwe Way with Dice and Cards
By Amy Felegy
Minnesota-based Nashke Native Games is breathing new life into dying languages, in the classroom and beyond.
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Labor of Love: Carving a Career in Indiana Limestone
By Mary Lee Pappas
Amy Brier found her calling with the Midwestern stone after working as a stone carver at one of the largest cathedrals in the world.
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