Mural Trails

Chance Encounter Leads to Wall Mural Tours*

Rich had a fleeting encounter with a muralist in October that inspired us to explore mural trails in the Cedar Rapids area. While we have passed by and noted many on our travels and around town, we had never sought them out.

Here’s how our mural trail tours started. Every once in a while, Rich visits Fia’s Finds, a consignment store on First Avenue SE, in hopes of finding a replacement for his favored vintage coffee cup that broke a few years back.  No luck on the coffee cup but he had a delightful brief chat with Zing, a young woman creating a colorful mural on the store’s outer wall.That got us thinking more about murals.

Paducah, Kentucky’s Wall Legacy

Actually, we’ve long noted wall murals. But this August our interest was piqued while walking along Paducah, Kentucky’s flood wall.  Crafted on the long wall were murals depicting the city’s rich history. They were magnificent art that told a story. And, they are maintained. An artist was diligently working in the summer’s heat to refresh one of the panels. He explained that is part of his job thanks to long term funding, is to keep the murals in good condition. After that, we started paying more attention to murals.

Coffee Cup Connection
Yields Invitation

Back to Fia’s Finds. In early November owner, Sophia Joseph, invited us to a reception honoring Zing (Phelps), who’ll continue the mural when the weather warms next spring.

“I’m actually a tattoo artist. This is my first mural,” Zing told us with pride and enthusiasm, evidence of her craft poking through her torn jean pants. Her comment gave us a perspective. A mural is sort of a big tattoo on a wall. When we mentioned this, she responded, “Yeah, but a mural doesn’t wiggle when you work on it!”

When Zing’s family joined the reception stories began to flow. Her mom noted that as a kid she used markers to draw. On everything – including walls! So, her mom bought her real sets of art supplies. COVID-19 restricted so much but also opened doors. Zing took formal lessons through the visual arts division, a hybrid middle school, at the Figge Museum in Davenport, Iowa. She got more excited about drawing and tattoo work and now works at Wildside Tattoo.

She connected with Fia’s Finds owner, Sophia Joseph, after Joseph posted on Cedar Rapids Support Local seeking a wall artist. “It was the first time I ever asked permission to paint on a wall,” Zing quipped. Her mom smiled in agreement.

Wall Murals Everywhere

In our travels we have seen wall art murals popping up. In 2013 we visited the Freak Alley Gallery in Boise, Idaho. A cool experience watching artists transform an alleyway into an outdoor art gallery. Yearly, the murals are changed. Nationwide, transformative art on buildings now is the rage. And, such spectacular examples abound.

Dubuque, Iowa, has wonderful street art and wall murals downtown that we admire when we visit.

 

What’s New is Old

But wall murals are not a new concept.  Decades ago, businesses used wall art to advertise their products like soft drinks and smokes. A local example that could use love is the Firestone garage at 10^th St. and Second Ave SE. On the back side of the building next to PCI II is a faded image of the Firestone logo. Zing may just be the talented artist who could help revive this iconic wall art. She listens to clients, is creative and uses her gift of tetrachormacy to full advantage.

 Mural Tour

Since we met Zing, we have taken tours of wall art in and near Cedar Rapids.

Highway 30 and Mt. Vernon

Out toward and in Mt. Vernon are some dandy barn murals. Our first stop was at the Big Apple Orchard on Hwy 30 near Mount Vernon. The barn sports a big mural of the Statue of Liberty with a twist. She holds an apple in her upthrust hand. Just east of Palisades State Park on the south side of Hwy 30 is the iconic American Gothic painting and a realistic buffalo prairie scene. A variation of wall murals is barn quilts that dot our landscapes and we have featured in the Cedar Rapids Gazette.

The town of Mt. Vernon is well know for its spring Chalk the Walk event where artists design and color in murals on the blocked-off main street.

Cedar Rapids

From there we visited more urban wall murals in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village, New Bohemia, Kingston Yard, and along First and Second Avenues. Another day we stopped by Shores in the Mount Mercy University area and enjoyed two murals. We are eager to check out the new one in the Ground Transportation Center and see about a canvas one in the Alliant Tower.

They’re all colorful and fun. All tell a story. A great example is in Cedar Rapids’ Greene Square Park. Painted on an adjacent parking garage is a mural celebrating the Great America Rail Trail. It overlooks a section of the trail that will eventually stretch from coast to coast. Rich, and a friend, have bicycled portions of this trail in Nebraska.

We have visited in a small sample of the street art/wall murals in our town, and will visit more over the winter months. While the murals are fresh and vibrant now, time takes its toll.  So, we do hope businesses and street artists will maintain these unique designs that add vibrancy to any town or rural barn.

How to Find Murals/Wall Art

Murals are fun. We keep on the lookout for them and encourage you to do the same.

Want help finding them? Types of sources to help: Visit the website of the town you are interested in and find street art/wall murals/wall art examples. Locally, Murals & More is a great site to check out. The site streetartcities.com is a start but does not show all. Facebook is a source to check out, too.

We are happy to learn more about these incredible works of art and meet an artist. We will try to connect with other artists over time. Bravo to the artists, partners and sponsors who brighten up our towns and the landscapes.

• While we know there are differences, we use the terms wall art, wall murals, street art interchangeably. While each artist defines differently, the idea is they all creatively tell a story.