2008 Woodie Awards
Art suffuses downtown
Michelle Scott - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 6/4/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Beyond the boundaries of "Road Closed" signs and under a sky continually threatening foul weather, white tents filled downtown Iowa City this weekend during the 25th annual Iowa Arts Festival.
More than 100 local and visiting artists participated in the event, lining downtown streets to showcase and sell items in various avenues of art, ranging from silk scarves to pottery. Musicians and local food vendors catered to visitors, and on Sunday, Children's Day capped off the weekend, offering hands-on arts and crafts activities and fun, youth-oriented entertainment.
One artist, Joseph Murray of Wayuga Art Studio near Jefferson, Iowa, said he is passionate about Iowa's culture and was excited to be a part of the festival for a second time.
"Iowa City is more culturally intellectual than most places I go to," he said, noting that he travels to around eight similar events each summer in cities ranging from Marshalltown to Minneapolis.
Murray defined his work as "representational impressionism" - the frequent rural scenes reminiscent of Iowa's common landscape characteristics. After more than 30 years in agricultural sales, he now focuses his energy on a lifelong dream to create art in his Wayuga studio. He named the space with a American Indian word meaning serenity.
"That's why I paint, serenity," he said, standing near his painting of a bright butterfly.
Murray, who typically spends 30-40 hours transforming photographic images into works of art, paints with watercolors on canvas and applies a spray-on UV light protectant that he said will preserve his paintings for 200 years.
Toting umbrellas and rain gear, the large crowd perused Murray's and others' artwork and merchandise, as children took advantage of a day aimed at them.
When thunder introduced a mid-afternoon shower, several families gathered under the tent at the UI Hospitals and Clinics and UI Children's Hospital-sponsored Family Stage for musical storytelling. Local musician John Lake and Deanne Wortman sang a rendition of "The Three Little Pigs," while other exhibitors scrambled to protect their wares with large blue tarps.
Next to the Family Stage, the Iowa Children's Museum helped youngsters create bright paper flowers or choose from a rack of fancy dress-up attire for photo opportunities. Under another tent, kids collected materials from Dick Blick, Old Capitol Town Center, to "Paint the Town," adding personal touches on a cardboard castle.
The Iowa Arts Festival is one of many events planned for the city's Summer of the Arts. According to the Summer of the Arts website, the past weekend's events were partially funded via a $50,000 donation from the city, approved by the City Council in June 2006.
Event planners could not be reached Sunday for comment about the festival's success or other funding. But it's clear that locals flooded the festival for an array of attractions - ranging from Japanese drumming to gyros - despite the cloudy skies.
E-mail DI reporter Michelle Scott at:
michelle-scott@uiowa.edu
More than 100 local and visiting artists participated in the event, lining downtown streets to showcase and sell items in various avenues of art, ranging from silk scarves to pottery. Musicians and local food vendors catered to visitors, and on Sunday, Children's Day capped off the weekend, offering hands-on arts and crafts activities and fun, youth-oriented entertainment.
One artist, Joseph Murray of Wayuga Art Studio near Jefferson, Iowa, said he is passionate about Iowa's culture and was excited to be a part of the festival for a second time.
"Iowa City is more culturally intellectual than most places I go to," he said, noting that he travels to around eight similar events each summer in cities ranging from Marshalltown to Minneapolis.
Murray defined his work as "representational impressionism" - the frequent rural scenes reminiscent of Iowa's common landscape characteristics. After more than 30 years in agricultural sales, he now focuses his energy on a lifelong dream to create art in his Wayuga studio. He named the space with a American Indian word meaning serenity.
"That's why I paint, serenity," he said, standing near his painting of a bright butterfly.
Murray, who typically spends 30-40 hours transforming photographic images into works of art, paints with watercolors on canvas and applies a spray-on UV light protectant that he said will preserve his paintings for 200 years.
Toting umbrellas and rain gear, the large crowd perused Murray's and others' artwork and merchandise, as children took advantage of a day aimed at them.
When thunder introduced a mid-afternoon shower, several families gathered under the tent at the UI Hospitals and Clinics and UI Children's Hospital-sponsored Family Stage for musical storytelling. Local musician John Lake and Deanne Wortman sang a rendition of "The Three Little Pigs," while other exhibitors scrambled to protect their wares with large blue tarps.
Next to the Family Stage, the Iowa Children's Museum helped youngsters create bright paper flowers or choose from a rack of fancy dress-up attire for photo opportunities. Under another tent, kids collected materials from Dick Blick, Old Capitol Town Center, to "Paint the Town," adding personal touches on a cardboard castle.
The Iowa Arts Festival is one of many events planned for the city's Summer of the Arts. According to the Summer of the Arts website, the past weekend's events were partially funded via a $50,000 donation from the city, approved by the City Council in June 2006.
Event planners could not be reached Sunday for comment about the festival's success or other funding. But it's clear that locals flooded the festival for an array of attractions - ranging from Japanese drumming to gyros - despite the cloudy skies.
E-mail DI reporter Michelle Scott at:
michelle-scott@uiowa.edu
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