Surge of public art adds energy to downtown Cedar Rapids
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — As artist Janson Rapisarda put the finishing touches on a mural on the side of Hall Bicycle Company, bicyclists pumped their pedals, speeding by his work on the trail that cuts through downtown Cedar Rapids. Rapisarda, known as CERA, has painted a two-story mural marking the
50th anniversary of RAGBRAI — the Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa — next summer. It also commemorates the local bike shop’s 125th year in business in 2023. The project is one of several new additions this year to the public art collection in Cedar Rapids.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that as the urban core shakes off COVID-19’s toll on downtown life, the uptick in public art is sparking energy in the heart of the city — helping to make Cedar Rapids a visual arts destination, celebrate the community’s identity and provide points of interest for visitors. A public art master plan adopted by the City Council this spring is guiding the efforts to prioritize public art as an element of place-making and a way to capture the characteristics that make Cedar Rapids unique. The plan considers the city’s efforts to elevate public art as well as the private sector’s role in expanding the presence of art in the community.
“The last five years, we’ve verbalized our commitment to investing in public art and now we’re starting to realize the fruits of those labors,” said council member Ashley Vanorny, who sits on the council’s Development Committee and is a vocal proponent of public art. “It really takes people deciding that it’s going to be a priority for it to start becoming one.” From murals to sculptures, the plan envisions improving cross-cultural understanding and connecting people through public art, no matter the medium.
The plan’s key goals are:
- Continue to enhance and broaden public art throughout Cedar Rapids
- Encourage local and regional artists to create public art
- Cultivate partnerships to support public art
- Create a sustainable administrative and funding structure
- Implement a maintenance plan for the current collection and future additions