New mural in downtown Bondurant to feature Iowa's native birds, changing seasons

Chris Higgins, Des Moines Register
·2 min read

A colorful addition to Bondurant's downtown will be revealed this month.

The city announced in a Dec. 7 news release that there will be an unveiling ceremony for artist Drew Etienne's new nature-inspired mural on the side of the emergency services building at 101 Grant St. N. Attendees are asked to gather at trailhead depot, 2 Main St. S.E., near the Chichaqua Valley Trail.

The mural captures Iowa's four changing seasons and portrays the state's native birds, including the ruby-throated hummingbird, the state's official goldfinch and the local mascot blue jay, according to the news release.

The unveiling will be Dec. 18 at 5:30 p.m. CST.

Etienne's mural is one piece of the city's ongoing collaboration with the University of Iowa and dozens of students through the Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities. Bondurant and Dubuque were the two cities selected for the program during the 2023-24 academic year.

Bondurant won out this year because of its rural roots and rapid growth. Other projects have included:

  • Museum studies students gathering oral histories from Bondurant residents about life in the community, with a focus on the tall grain silos that still sit in the middle of town; and Bondurant Summerfest, which is approaching its 75th anniversary.

  • English students collaborating with the Bondurant Historical Society and pursuing archival research to come up with ways to increase public access to materials while exploring the tension between the city's agricultural past and its suburban growth.

  • Law students exploring how to repurpose 24 downtown acres where the grain silos and railroad tracks currently sit with an eye toward utilizing government funding, real estate law, legislation and policy work, economic development tools and so on.

  • Planning students working on a master plan for parks and recreation in Bondurant. The last one was created in 2013.

  • Geographical and sustainability sciences students mapping the streams flowing through Bondurant, with a focus on protection and identifying land that can't be developed.

  • Engineering students designing new trails that connect to the exiting county system to bring people into downtown Bondurant.

The structure with the mural is planned to be the future home of the Parks and Recreation Department as the city plans for a new emergency services building in the coming years.

Chris Higgins covers the eastern suburbs for the Register. Reach him at chiggins@registermedia.com or 515-423-5146 and follow him on Twitter @chris_higgins_.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: New mural in downtown Bondurant part of University of Iowa partnership