Art on the Prairie festival to kick off with mural celebration

Staff Report
·2 min read
A new mural is installed above Raccoon Valley Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A mural celebration will help kick off the Art on the Prairie weekend at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 at Perry Perk.
A new mural is installed above Raccoon Valley Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A mural celebration will help kick off the Art on the Prairie weekend at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 at Perry Perk.

The Art on the Prairie festival weekend will kick off with a mural celebration from 3-4 p.m. Friday at Perry Perk.

Art on the Prairie commissioned the mural as a capstone to the We the Many storytelling project. We the Many is a project of Arts Midwest with generous support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and in partnership with the Iowa Arts Council.

The mural, painted by Des Moines artists Jimmy Navarro and Katie Jensen, depicts a prairie landscape, rolling hills and the Raccoon River Valley in a style reminiscent of stained glass. Community members and high school students helped paint some of the 17 panels.

A new mural is installed above Raccoon Valley Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A mural celebration will help kick off the Art on the Prairie weekend at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 at Perry Perk.
A new mural is installed above Raccoon Valley Bank on Tuesday, Nov. 7, 2023. A mural celebration will help kick off the Art on the Prairie weekend at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 10 at Perry Perk.

"We the Many represents the many individual stories that connect, bridge, and blend together through commonality and finding common ground," the Art on the Prairie board said in a news release. "Much like a stained glass mosaic with many individual pieces, our diverse community is stronger with many individual connections. Similarly, the diversity of a prairie’s ecosystem is the key to its sustainability and long-term success. Just as prairie roots grow deep, so too, do the roots of community in a small town."

The 75-foot mural was installed on Tuesday above Raccoon Valley Bank. Community members are invited to meet the artists and enjoy refreshments on Friday during the mural celebration Friday at Perry Perk.

A view of the new mural above Raccoon Valley Bank.
A view of the new mural above Raccoon Valley Bank.

Festival-goers can view the mural as they walk through Perry's downtown on Saturday and Sunday. The festival features 56 visual artists, 32 musicians and 23 poets in 10 historic buildings – Hotel Pattee, Security Bank Building, Perry Public Library, Carnegie Library, Town/Craft Center, Betsy Peterson Designs, Common Wealth Provisions, Studio on Second, Mary Rose Collective and La Poste.\

Find more information, including a full schedule of events, on the Art on the Prairie website and Facebook page. Programs will also be located inside each venue.

A view of the new mural above Raccoon Valley Bank.
A view of the new mural above Raccoon Valley Bank.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Art on the Prairie festival to kick off with mural celebration