Willard Student Artwork to be Seen by Millions
Willard teacher Lindsie Manzer speaks at the unveiling of her students’ public art work project.
Many of the million-plus Iowa State Fairgoers this summer will notice a new attraction before they even reach the main gate.
On May 21st a mural will be painted on the brick façade of Fairgrounds Hardware that faces E. 30th Street, right across from the State Fairgrounds. And the artists are Willard Elementary School 5th graders!
At a kickoff ceremony on Monday afternoon in the school cafeteria the winning design was unveiled and the project sponsors were thanked in a series of brief speeches by the student-artists. Instead of the wines and cheeses served at grown-up artist receptions the patrons in attendance at Willard enjoyed cookies and lemonade. And the advance reviews were unanimously glowing.
A mock-up of the design created by Willard student Keila Cerda.
Dave Diers works for Logan Contracting in Urbandale. Riding public transportation to and from work every day, “I got to thinking about all of the blank public spaces that would make great canvasses,” he said. He approached the Des Moines City Council about the ways and means of commissioning some nonprofit art projects. That route quickly dead-ended in red tape. So he moved on to Plan B: the public schools.
Diers floated a proposal to a group of DMPS art teachers early in the second semester. The first one to raise her hand was Willard’s Lindsie Manzer. So Diers then asked Fairgrounds Hardware down the street from the school if they might be interested in having neighborhood students decorate their building, free of charge. Yes, they were! “It didn’t take three minutes for them to agree,” Diers said. “They loved the idea.”
Community project sponsors were solicited. Great Western Bank, the Davis Brown Law Firm, Jordison Construction and KH Construction came on board.
All the project lacked was a design.
Manzer put her 5th grade art students on that assignment.
“I included elements from my curriculum,” she said, “and let them choose a theme from an assortment including the state of Iowa, the city of Des Moines, the changing seasons and the growth of children.”
Away everyone went to the drawing board. Selection of the winning design was put to a vote of the Willard faculty and staff. Keila Cerda’s IOWA design was chosen.
Jordan Weber is a high-profile public artist in the Des Moines area and he will project Keila’s design onto the wall at the hardware store. Then he’ll sketch in the outline and let the kids go to work on the massive, 3D coloring book project. Keila’s first commission is a big one. Her concept is sort of a day/night split screen effect spotlighted by sunshine and fireworks, respectively.
Diers, Menzer and Willard principal Julie Kruse envision this becoming an annual tradition at the school with the display space rotating from year to year until a gallery of lasting marks made by Willard on its community are on permanent display. In what the trio can’t help but see as a clear sign that this collaboration was meant to be, they discovered some unknown links to one another during the planning process. Menzer’s father works at Logan Contracting, the same place where Diers is employed. And Kruse’s brother Jeff grew up with Diers. It’s a small town in a small world. But The Great Wall of Willard will be big, 10’x60’!
The kids peppered Weber with some good logistical questions about how Keila’s vision will expand from an 8×11 piece of paper into a 600 square foot outdoor opus a block away but he came equipped with the answers. It’s going to happen.
And yes, Marquis, it’s going to be on Facebook, too!
