Wright House of Fashion launches “Create a Culture Live” small concert series for Iowa artists

IOWA CITY — In a world where artists dare to dream big, one new venue in Iowa City is reminding them to think small, too.

Create a Culture Live, a new concert series at the Wright House of Fashion, has launched a space for up-and-coming artists to be seen — not at sold-out stadiums or a packed bar stage, but in the back of a dry cleaner-turned-nonprofit space built to foster fashion and arts among youth and young adults in Johnson County.

Now two concerts in, the series bearing hallmarks to National Public Radio’s popular “Tiny Desk Concerts” attunes artists in Iowa to a new audience eager to listen — a handful of people at a time.

As other venues aim for popular artists, this one strives to find the ones yet to be discovered.

“There are ways to be a successful artist in Iowa without having a million followers,” said Zeff Walker-El, an artist known as TheZeffsterr, who organizes the new event.

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The idea started with a one-off event put on by Walker-El at the nondescript Gilbert Street building about a year ago. As he was getting ready for a Rock the Chalk performance with other musicians in 2023, they searched for a place to rehearse.

After modeling in fashion shows and performing music for runways, Walker-El already knew Wright House of Fashion founder Andre’ Wright. They saw a chance to make the rehearsal something more. So with a press release inviting a few public figures, media and influencers to the space, they put a small gig together in under two weeks.

When it went well, the artist and the fashion house founder saw an opportunity for something bigger than themselves.

“I felt like there needed to be a space for artists to be supported so they can be looked at as entrepreneurs. I wanted to empower them with the space to be able to be creative and create a culture live in front of people,” Wright said. “We need a space for people to do things outside the norm in Iowa. This is an intimate space that allows people to be expressive and spell out what they’re trying to do with their music.

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The fashion house opened two years ago as an endeavor to create a new ecosystem in creative trades for underrepresented youth. Now, it’s adding a new platform to its portfolio of programming.

“(I thought,) what would this look like if I had time (to plan)?” Walker-El said. “It turned out to be something greater than I would’ve ever thought, and it all just came from the idea of wanting to perform with my band.”

Being an artist is one thing. But breaking into a space that allows an artist to perform full-time requires skills knowledge often locked under industry gatekeeping. With guidance from Wright, Walker-El secured a grant from Big Grove Brewery, giving the idea something to survive on.

In an industry that often takes advantage of artists for free performances in exchange for exposure, Create a Culture Live pays artists for their time while giving them unique connections. Knowledge of performances has, so far, mostly been spread by word-of-mouth.

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“If you don’t know how to market the talent or spread the knowledge of the talent to the world, you’re just going to be a talented person,” said Walker-El, who owns small creative content management company Critical Money Inc. “I had the opportunity to push artists out of their comfort zone and into a light that highlights them. That was huge for me.”

But more than being valued in monetary terms, artists can generate new fans who care. With easygoing vibes, artists can talk about their frame of mind, how they wrote a song and why it might resonate with them as they perform.

“There’s more benefit for the audience to actually learn about the artist and be more connected with their music,” Wright said. “Having a space be intimate makes it easier to be supported and makes people pay attention to them.”

Comments: Features reporter Elijah Decious can be reached at (319) 398-8340 or elijah.decious@thegazette.com.