Small Town Landmarks
Painting the Town on a Repurposed Canvas
Road trip!!
When the scorching heat subsides, the farm fields ripen, and the feathery white plumes of the ditch grasses dance and sway in the autumn breeze, the open road calls my name.
I love driving the backroads! Iowa is a beautiful state, with distinctive landscapes, charming small town squares, and well-kept farmsteads and acreages. You never know what you might see when you travel Iowa's highways and byways. You also never know what you might learn. My sister-in-law, Lorna, has spent many hours and logged thousands of miles on Iowa's backroads this summer. Her photos of several small town murals along the way prompted me to explore what else is out there. Clearly public art is sprouting up across Iowa.
I've always admired the occasional mural painted on the exterior brick wall of small town Main Street buildings. But until recently, I've thought of public art as the stuff of urban centers, such as the Pappajohn Sculpture Park in Des Moines.
However, small town murals are having a moment. As a visual strategy, they highlight local attractions, and help reinforce and forge unique identities. Public art also can create common ground among people who share a space, says Jennifer Drinkwater, Iowa State University Extension community arts specialist and assistant professor in the Dept. of Art and Visual Culture in the College of Design. Here is a sampling of some off-the-beaten path places where it's flourishing.
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Clarksville, population 1,264: Originally painted by high school students in 1981 under the supervision of art teachers, the mural theme is Our Midwestern Heritage. It featured a corn stalk, cow, and rainbow leading to a tree signifying community roots and growth from Iowa's fertile soil. Updated in 2021, Maddie Poppe who won American Idol in 2018, was added, along with the Rolling Prairie Bike Trail. Diamond Vogel, along with Paint Iowa Beautiful, provided a grant for the update. People take selfies in front of the mural.
Denver, population 1,919: Greetings from The Mile Wide City. It makes you chuckle, doesn't it? When my cousin Steve attended Iowa State University, he made sure we knew about his Denver roommate. Denver, Iowa, we later found out! Denver's mural and tag line plays off this case of mistaken identity. It also hosts a Mile Wide Fall and a Mile Wide Summer Market.
Britt, population 2,044: Known as the home of the Hobo Festival for 112 years, Britt shows off a 12 x 80 ft. mural by Decorah artist Carl Homstad, depicting its downtown in the 1950s. Painted on the exterior of the Water Tower are three glyphs commonly used by hobos to indicate "this is the place," "freshwater campsite," and "a train stop."
Fredericksburg, population 987: Completed in May 2021 by Waverly artist Dan Hatala, you'll find it displayed on the exterior of a former hardware store. The mural captures the essence of childhood: the wonder, the innocence, the playfulness, and the adventure. Hatala has many other mural creations in Traer, Sumner, Delhi, and Waverly.
Clarion, population 2,810: Seat of Wright County. Created by artist Ben Schuh, it features renown coach and wrestler Glenn and Dale Brand, plus the Iowa Hat Lady (Alvina Sellers) and the 4-H schoolhouse. Clarion is the birthplace of the 4-H emblem. The mural also showcases Clarion's Heartland Museum.
Sac City, population 1,200. Years ago I wrote about Sac City's claim to fame as the Home of the World's Largest Popcorn Ball. Already known as the Popcorn Capital of the World, Sac City claimed the Guinness Book of World Records' title four times, beginning in 1995. Made from locally grown popcorn kernels, it had to be edible to qualify. Displayed behind Plexiglas in a building next to the Sac City Museum on Highway 20, the reigning popcorn ball measures 12 feet in diameter, 8 feet tall, and weighs 9,370 pounds.
Today, however, move over giant popcorn ball! As you approach Sac City from the east, you're greeted by striking metal sculptures. Artist Tanner King created this Butterfly, a blue heron, lady bugs, a giant ant, Bald Eagle, palm trees, metal flowers – and more . King, an Auburn, Iowa, native was welding for farmers seven years ago when he was asked to create his first metal sculpture. Other local attractions include Auburn's three 24-foot steel trees at the Grant Park Trailhead. Just after dark, look for the towering dandelions at South Park near the Sac City Aquatic Center. The late John A. Criss left $5.7 million in a trust to be used to beautify Sac City.
Jefferson, population 4,182 . Several eye-catching murals adorn the town and tell its story at eye level. But there are at least six displays of rooftop art, created by artist Dana Harrison, which are intended to be appreciated from the top of the 14-story Mahanay Memorial Carillion Bell Tower. Harrison studied under the late Sazko from Hamburg, Germany, and Harrison’s work is displayed at the Edna Griffin Building and other Des Moines locations. Other fun Jefferson murals were completed by Greene County High School students.
Malvern, population 1,046. In the seven years since Malvern native Zack Jones returned, he's purchased an old church, renaming it the Art Church, and converted it into a painting canvas and place to practice his art. He painted the ceiling, creating Iowa’s version of the Sistine Chapel. The church hosts wedding guests, art shows, fundraising events, concerts and it’s even an Airbnb. There's public art throughout the town, and another art gallery a few blocks away offers art classes for all. Check out the Malvern Walkable Art Tour (wabashtrace.org). Mark your calendar the third weekend of September for the self-guided Southwest Iowa Art Tour.
Ft. Dodge, population 24,871. Towering figures loom from the sides of 110-foot grain silos. Created in 2018 by Australian artist Guido van Helton, it's Iowa's largest mural. Seven figures depict residents interwoven from the community's industrial and cultural fabric, including a farmer, teacher, student, miner, and an African-American community leader. Each individual is shown passing on stoneware made from the distinctive Ft. Dodge area clay (the actual stoneware is displayed at the Ft. Museum and Frontier Village). Van Helten's murals are featured across the U.S., and this one was funded by Iowa Arts Council, America's Best Communities, the Catherine Vincent Deardorf Charitable Foundation, and several other donors.
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Eagle Grove, population 3,601: In 2014, I wrote a story for Successful Farming about an Eagle Grove visionary named Daryl Watts. Standing 100 feet tall, a brick grain elevator built in the 1940s by Iowa Seed Company had been abandoned for years. Although he never worked there, Watts had spent 40 years in the grain industry. He never liked the view of the abandoned elevator north of Eagle Grove's main street.
He came up with an idea to transform an eyesore. Watts, 77, told me, "It's so conspicuous. I thought we could make it look better."
Eagle Grove has a small Veterans Memorial Park with a black granite slab listing the names of veterans killed in the line of duty. After Watts shared his idea with the owner of the grain elevator, it became a canvas of sorts, dedicated to patriotism and hometown pride. One of the names featured on the Veterans Memorial Tower is former Iowa governor Robert Blue, an Eagle Grove native. A space on the mural was reserved to depict Eagle Grove's agricultural and railroad heritage.
Not all visions are achieved within the time span of one lifetime. I revisted the Tower this week, and saw that Watts' towering inspiration remains a work in progress. This includes the inspirational quote he had planned for the eye level of the elevator: "Make no small plans. They have no power to stir the souls of men."
Creston, population 3,601: Drinkwater describes Creston as "the reigning monarch of rural murals". A total of 50 were created from 2020-2023 through the Mentor Mural Project. Creston area youth completed community service hours working in partnership with professional artists. It was a collaboration of Creston Community High School, Creston local businesses and volunteers, the Dept. of Health and Human Services, and many others. When you think about it's a wonderful way to help plant the seeds of ownership and civic pride in the next generation. "Bloom where you're planted!"
Wayne County Culture Trail. A total of 16 murals were painted in 2023 by the Walldogs Mural Group. Each one reflects a unique aspect of Wayne County's heritage. Plan to tour for about two hours by car, as you drive through Corydon, Promise City, Seymour, Allerton, Lineville, Humeston, and Millerton (waynecountyculturasltrail.com)
Dayton, population, 749. Come for the art, stay for the 80+ year rodeo and Scott Amusements' Carnival, August 29-September 1.
The Iowa Arts Council's Art Project Grant has awarded more than 300 grants to support public art across Iowa. https://opportunityiowa.gov/community/arts-culture/grants-programs/art-project. Jennifer Drinkwater says there also are other cool funding opportunities: https://opportunityiowa.gov/community/arts-culture/grants-programs?instance_overrides_key=4jw0ox3fGxyM2XNRQEnmHARfl_fECem7IcHjIvS3WwY&page=0.
Preserving a Sense of Place
Driving through a small town for the first time, we look for signs of a unique character or civic pride. Unfortunately, for too many, the economic and demographic impact on rural Iowa over the past two decades have buried many visible traces.
Often these remnants are agricultural businesses that once served as economic cornerstones. Sometimes it takes an outlier with a new set of eyes to rescue and transform overlooked assets into artistic landmarks.
In Internet speak, it's known as repurposing your content. In architectural lingo, it's called adaptive reuse. Whatever you name it, the end result can be a sparkplug for rebuilding small town character and resilience. These towns pursuing public art, and many others across Iowa, have it in spades.
So the next time you take a road trip, keep your eyes on the road, but set your GPS for a backroads route. Expect the unexpected!
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Thank you for highlighting some of Iowa’s small(er) towns and creative local artwork. Appreciate the photos especially.
Nice work, great photos, fantastic travel guide!