These Artists Are Proof that Art Is a Universal Language | Iowa Life
The video showcases Iowa’s Freedom of Expression Project, a biennial initiative that brings together artists with disabilities, vision impairments, and non‑verbal communication styles to create and exhibit artwork. Participants meet weekly at the Art Center, experiment with new media, and receive one‑on‑one mentorship from professional artists like Jill Wells. The program culminates in a public exhibition and an adaptive fashion show where creators translate personal narratives into wearable pieces. Highlights include Deb Arguello collaborating with Gretchen Luloff to overcome visual limitations, Vera Webster’s calming water‑paint collages, and Kevin Nelson’s Viking‑inspired runway look that celebrates his Norwegian heritage. Artists repeatedly note that creating “gives them a voice” and reshapes how others perceive them. By positioning art as a universal language, the project demonstrates how inclusive creative spaces can foster confidence, cultural pride, and community dialogue, offering a replicable model for other regions seeking to empower artists with disabilities.
This Iowa Nonprofit Is the Largest Nongovernmental Seed Bank in the Country | Iowa Life
The video profiles Seed Savers Exchange Heritage Farm, a 900‑acre Iowa nonprofit that operates the United States’ largest non‑governmental seed bank. Founded over 50 years ago by Diane Ott Whealy and her husband Kent, the organization’s mission is to grow,...
2026 Terrace Hill Piano Competition
The 2026 Terrace Hill Piano Competition, held at Iowa’s historic governor’s mansion, highlighted the state’s most promising young pianists. Sponsored for nearly four decades by the Terrace Hill Endowment for the Musical Arts and funded by Iowa PBS, the Friends...
Handcart Sculpture | Artifact Iowa
The video spotlights the Handcart Pioneer sculpture, a bronze replica of Torleif Knaphus’s original work in Temple Square, commemorating the Mormon Trail’s hand‑cart migration across southern Iowa between 1856 and 1860. Around 3,000 Latter‑Day Saint families trekked on foot, pulling handcarts...
Finding Phenomena in Nature | Iowa Science Phenomena
The video features Buena Vista County naturalist Katie Struss describing Iowa Science Phenomena, a program that invites the public to explore everyday natural wonders—from fireflies to oak savanna habitats—through hands‑on events. Struss explains that phenomena need not be grand; a ladybug,...
The Legacy of Iowa DNR Biologist Ron Howing in Wetland Preservation | Iowa Life
The video honors Ron Howing, a retired Iowa Department of Natural Resources wildlife biologist whose five‑decade career reshaped the state’s wetlands. Howing began wetland restoration in the early 1980s, leveraging the Conservation Reserve Program to convert marginal, erodible farmland into prairie...
XBrooklyn Rocking Iowa | Iowa Life
The video follows Tobi Parks, a musician who left New York for Iowa and founded the nonprofit venue xBrooklyn (xBk). He leveraged his background in music and law to create Station One Records and a 250‑seat space that prioritizes community...
Studio 3 LIVE: Best of Season 3
Studio 3 LIVE’s Season 3 recap aired on Iowa PBS, celebrating a dozen musicians ranging from folk‑rooted Chicago Farmer to Austin‑born blues‑rock guitarist Jackie Venson. Funded by Prairie Meadows Casino and the Iowa PBS Foundation, the hour‑long special highlighted the program’s mission to blend regional...
Socks in the Frying Pan | Studio 3 LIVE
Studio 3 Live welcomed Irish traditional trio Socks in the Frying Pan, an award‑winning act from Ennis, County Clare. Host Mickey Davis introduced the band’s roots—an accidental seven‑night‑a‑week pub stint that sparked a 17‑year journey from local Irish venues to...
All Aboard at Watson Station: Reliving Iowa’s Railroad Past | Iowa Life
Watson Station, nestled in Missouri Valley City Park, is a replica train depot named after Johnny Watson, the mid‑1960s steam‑train operator who loved children. The site offers a short, family‑friendly ride on the “Jimmy King Express,” turning a modest park attraction into a...
Iowa Welder Tanner King Turns Farm Roots Into Striking Public Art | Iowa Life
Iowa welder Tanner King leverages his family’s farm‑equipment repair heritage to create large‑scale steel and copper sculptures that dot public spaces across west‑central Iowa. By repurposing discarded agricultural metal, he transforms utilitarian materials into striking landmarks that celebrate local history....