Our Mission

Rapson Collaborative is a non-profit arts organization supporting original musical projects that explore critical social issues. Rapson Collaborative fosters collaboration between artists and audiences with an emphasis on projects that tell marginalized histories, support underrepresented artists and engage diverse communities.

Become a Member

A group of musicians in a recording studio, with a man at a keyboard reading sheet music, another man playing an electric guitar, and a person in the background reading a tablet. The studio has brick walls, decorative fabric hanging on the walls, and equipment on the floor.

Our Story

Rapson Collaborative began as “Hot Tamale Louie” Iowa City (HTLIC) Media, which was founded by composer and educator John Rapson and named for one of his multimedia musical endeavors. In partnership with the University of Iowa and the Iowa Arts council among others, HTLIC Media supported collaborative musical productions and performances directed by Rapson.

By the time he was working on the exercise in collective collaboration and stylistic combination that became “Esteban and The Children of the Sun” in 2021, Rapson and his advisory board began thinking about HTLIC Media’s potential to support other artists doing similar work going forward.

When Rapson died in July, 2021, the assembled board brought the “Esteban” project to completion as a recording and performance, and then took up the question of the organization’s future and mission.

With a focus on performing arts and a special love for musicians, and with a new name attuned to his example of collaborative artistic work that uplifts and educates, Rapson Collaborative makes a commitment to invite and support new projects and to join with community partners in support of the arts. We are excited to be part of the rich tapestry and long history of arts non-profits in the Iowa City area.

Ira John Rapson

(1953-2021)
Professor of Music and Director of Jazz Studies, University of Iowa
Composer, musician, teacher, father and friend

Older man with glasses, headphones, and a checkered shirt, smiling with eyes closed and reaching out

John Rapson was a renowned jazz trombonist and composer, and a gifted teacher who helped lead the University of Iowa School of Music Jazz Program for 26 years. He conducted the Johnson County Landmark orchestra and established both BA and MA degrees in jazz during his tenure at the university. His inclination toward working together with diverse groups of musicians, artists and styles throughout his career, was exemplified in recordings and productions such as Crescendo and Hot Tamale Louie.

He attended Trinity Episcopal Church for many years, where he composed and arranged liturgical music for Vespers and also wrote a Mass. He hosted a popular local radio show called “As Night Falls” on KSUI. His final recording project, Esteban and The Children of the Sun, was recorded in his daughter Hannah’s basement at Rose Hill weeks prior to his passing.

John was a life enthusiast, community-builder and storyteller - he had a way of making the mundane seem marvelous and delighting in the littlest things. A devoted friend who believed in the dreams of others, he encouraged and inspired fellow musicians and students to experiment and to commit themselves, to the music and to one another.

Board of Directors

Hannah Rapson (she/her)

PRESIDENT

Hannah Rapson is a systemic thinker, a hunter of light and gatherer of people. Through her non-profit work she seeks to support artists and illuminate stories that inspire meaning-making and foster stronger, more connected communities. She is a mother, artist, gardener, community builder, and therapist with a former decade-long career and ongoing licensure as a financial advisor. She holds an MA in Marriage & Family Therapy and a BA in painting. She currently works in private practice as a relational therapist in lowa City.
Creighton Gaynor (he/him)

VICE PRESIDENT

Creighton Gaynor is a performer, creator, percussionist, and composer with roots in Lexington, KY. He has enjoyed a long career performing in various ensembles and session recordings as a member of the lowa City, Quad Cities, and Ames/Des Moines music communities. Creighton can currently be seen on stage with his band Jumbies playing Caribbean and world music fusions, and enjoys adding some flavor to many other projects and collaborations. Creighton combined his love of live music and industry experience to form Natural Talent Music (NTM), an lowa City-based company focused on promoting artists and creating intentionally multicultural live music events. Creighton and NTM are very proud to help coordinate events for the South of 6 Business District as Chair of the Arts and Entertainment committee, and the lowa City Bike Library. Creighton has also volunteered with lowa City's Summer of the Arts for several years and currently serves as President of the organization's Board of Directors. In his spare time, Creighton continues his career in human resources and management with the lowa Department of Health and Human Services.
Eric Neel (he/him)

GRANTS CHAIR
Eric Neel is an Emmy-winning producer, editor and journalist for ESPN, where he is currently the Director of Content Development. He is a founding member of Rapson Collaborative and a co-founder of the Redwood Jazz Alliance concert series. He lives and works in Sierra Madre, California, and is at work on a book on the music and life of John Coltrane in 1967.
Ryan Smith (he/him)

SECRETARY
Ryan Smith is a multiple woodwind specialist who performs regularly in the lowa Corridor area and throughout the midwest. He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of lowa and teaches woodwinds at Grinnell College, Cornell College, and St. Ambrose University.
Craig Jarvey (he/him)

TREASURER
Craig Jarvie spent most of his early years in Montana and Wyoming. Although Craig has lived all over the United States, he has found a home in lowa City. Craig Jarvie retired from University of lowa Health Care after twenty years of employment. Apart from work with Rapson Collaborative, he volunteers at KICI radio, community theaters and Floodwater Comedy Festival. Craig and his supportive wife, Joey Walker, have a son, Walker Jarvie, who lives in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Rae Evemond (she/her)

BOARD MEMBER
Rae Evemond is a mother, joy cultivator, multidisciplinary artist/writer, and owner of Art Therapy and Counseling Studio, where she serves as an art therapist. A Chicago transplant who has called several cities and countries home, Rae loves the creative, connective energy that permeates and distinguishes lowa City.
Ingrid Gronstal (she/her)

Ingrid is an experienced problem solver and advocate for systemic change. She is a general practice attorney at Astraea Legal in lowa City. Ingrid's previous roles included working to improve water quality at the lowa Environmental Council and working on renewable energy and environmental compliance at the University of lowa. She has a B.S. in Psychology and a J.D., both from the University of lowa. As a music teacher's daughter, Ingrid is deeply familiar with the importance of art, music, and performance within communities. Ingrid has lived in lowa City for the better part of two decades, and she has been active in the community on many fronts. She is a member of the Quire of Eastern lowa and the lowa City Cycling Club. Ingrid is an alumna of the Onelowa Leadership Institute, where she gained valuable skills and insights into holistic leadership and community building. Ingrid has a deep love for this community, and she is thrilled to be involved with the Rapson Collaborative and the wonderful artists that the Collaborative supports. This is a critical moment for communities to come together to support art, resistance, mutual care, and collaboration.
Trevor S. Harvey (he/him)

BOARD MEMBER
Trevor S. Harvey is a lecturer in ethnomusicology/musicology at the University of lowa. His research investigates participatory musical cultures and community construction through collaborative, recreational musical practices. His current research projects consider computer-mediated musical processes within multicultural/multinational Internet communities and socio-musical experiences within the virtual world of Second Life. Trevor is the co-founder of lowa City's Front Porch Music Festival.
Jen Knights (she/her)

BOARD MEMHER
Jen Knights is a people-centered marketing professional, dedicated to promotion of the arts and fostering community connection in lowa City. She is the marketing and communications manager for Performing Arts At lowa and former marketing director for Mission Creek Festival. She also serves as a board member for lowa City Summer of the Arts and as Vice President of the New Pioneer Co-op board of directors.
Caleb "The Negro Artist" Rainey (he/him)

BOARD MEMBER
Caleb “The Negro Artist” Rainey is an author, performer, and event producer. He has published two books, Look, Black Boy and Heart Notes, released two albums, produced a short film with the Brucemore titled Willing to Grow, and starred in an award winning documentary titled The Negro Artist. In 2024 he was the recipient of the Iowa Author Award for Poetry. He is the winner of several slams across the United States, placed 7th in the 2023 UNESCO Slam-0-Vision global poetry slam, and curates a community of spoken word in Iowa City through his high school program, IC Speaks, and producing events like the Mic Check Poetry Fest.
Beth Rapson (she/her)

EX-OFFICIO
Beth is the owner of Regarding Home, a business dedicated to providing renovations and building projects for homeowners. Along with her former husband John, Beth's home has served as a meeting place for a myriad of musicians and other creatives over the last several decades. She is a non-voting member of the board.