Cedar Rapids goes ‘Gothic’ with art project to honor artist Grant Wood
Grant Wood was 39 when he created his most-famous painting – American Gothic. The painting, which features a farmer and either his wife or daughter standing in front of a farm house, is quickly recognized by almost anyone who sees it.
Wood died in 1942. In recognition of his 125th birthday this year, Overalls All Over organized a 25-statue salute to the world-renowned artist. Overalls is an outdoor public arts project that debuted 15 years ago. The current project was sponsored by area businesses. Organizations working together on the project included Go Cedar Rapids, Black Earth Gallery and Czech Village New Bohemia Main Street. We were fortunate to catch the tail-end of the summerlong exhibit.
The project consists of 25 white fiberglass statues originally designed to look like the farmers in the painting. It was left to each artist’s interpretation and imagination as to what appeared around Cedar Rapids and a few area communities.
The statues were at their spots beginning in May. They were available for public viewing through this weekend. Some of the statues will be for sale through Black Earth gallery, while others will be relocated to business sponsors’ sites. Overalls will update its website when the statues are moved to new locations.
People were encouraged to find each statue. They benefited from a map that could be downloaded from the Overalls website. It helped us a lot.
We didn’t find all 25 statues. We were in town for a few hours. Lisa had wanted to check out the project earlier this summer, but we never seemed to have the time to plan a Cedar Rapids weekend. Since we were passing through, we planned to spend part of a day. We were in Cedar Rapids about five hours. That time allowed us to find about a dozen of them. We actually spent our lunch reviewing the map and planning for maximum viewing.
We started our Gothic statue hunting with a stop in the Amana Colonies. “Remain True” features Iowa farm life. It was located at the Colonies’ visitors center.
We did have a favorite – “American Hipsters.” It was impressive how the artists with de Novo Alternative Marketing transformed the basic statue into the Hipster duo. They used additional material and props to create the couple.
The City of Cedar Rapids was the sponsor of the statue. They thought the “Hipster” theme was perfect, as the city is recruiting younger people to move to the city, and working to keep younger people to stay and work in the area.
The hipsters were located along the Cedar River, a short walk from the McGrath Amphitheater. They are a popular attraction.
A patriotic pair stood in front of the Veterans Memorial Building. “Mike and Rosie” represent the military and civilians supporting the military efforts. The statue was designed by Julius Cavira.
The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was the site of an Andy Warhol-themed statue. “Andy and Edie” was created by Cavira. The museum hosted a Warhol exhibit, so the statue’s location was spot on.
A Monopoly-based statue was located at the Newbo Market. Artist Martha Brown used a 1960s and Monopoly theme in creating “Go Cedar Rapids.”
We had a blast walking around a very walkable city and riverfront looking for the Gothic statues. We think Cedar Rapids can be proud that it pulled off an outstanding project. Check www.croveralls.com for future locations of the statues and plans for them. As for the next public art project that catches our eye, we are getting to it sooner than later.
We found a lot to like about Cedar Rapids. We are excited to get back there as soon as we can. For additional information on Cedar Rapids, please visit www.gocedarrapids.com.
