Orchestra Iowa among area organizations receiving Inspire Iowa grants

DES MOINES — If you play it, they will come.

Orchestra Iowa’s plan to hit one out of the ballpark in June 2025 has received an $80,000 Inspire Iowa grant to support playing the score of “Field of Dreams” during a movie screening at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

It’s a collaboration between the ensemble and the Cedar Rapids Kernels, projected to cost $225,000. According to composer James Horner’s website, the score for the hit film that gave us the oft-quoted phrase, “Is this Heaven? No, it’s Iowa,” has been reworked. According to an April 15 website post, Horner’s “unconventional mix of synthesizer, big band, light rock and pop elements, panpipes, guitar and solo piano” has been “newly arranged for a full symphony orchestra.”

For those unfamiliar with the classic film, Orchestra Iowa describes it as an “inspirational” film where “an Iowa farmer transforms his cornfield into a place where dreams can come true. ... And what better setting than at a ballpark” to see the movie on the Jumbotron with the symphony performing on the field.

Series tickets are on sale at the Orchestra Iowa Ticket office, orchestraiowa.org or (319) 366-8203. Single tickets go on sale July 22.

Other area grants:

National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, Cedar Rapids: $30,000 for hosting the traveling Alphonse Mucha exhibit. Project cost is $87,000. The museum is one of three locations in the United States, and the only Midwestern venue, selected for the national tour of “Alphonse Mucha: Master of Art Nouveau,” on view through Sept. 1. ncsml.org/

Figge Art Museum, Davenport: $35,000, to support “Walter Wick: Hidden Wonders” exhibit and community activations. Project cost is $103,000.

The museum is the only venue in the Midwest hosting this traveling exhibition, where visitors can experience the nostalgia of the popular “I Spy” series while exploring a new visual world. On view July 6 to Nov. 17. figgeartmuseum.org/art/exhibitions

The Inspire Iowa program was launched by the Iowa Tourism Office and Iowa Arts Council, both divisions of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, to elevate Iowa as a cultural destination and promote out-of-state visits and extended stays, which in turn can generate additional local spending and support economic growth.

Tourism in Iowa generated $6.9 billion in expenditures in 2022, with more than $1.1 billion supporting state and local governments, while employing 68,607 people statewide.

Iowa nonprofit arts and cultural organizations generate more than $750 million of economic impact annually, while supporting the broader hospitality industry and attracting new visitors to our state.

For more information on tourism or arts and culture in Iowa, visit traveliowa.com or culture.iowaeda.com