LE MARS, Iowa | Lively murals and playful paintings cover the once-chipped, cracked and peeling walls and boarded-up windows in sidestepped spaces. Community members and regional artists have been working to transform the dingy alleyway into a downtown destination in Le Mars.
Mary Reynolds, co-chair of the alley art project, envisions townspeople and visitors getting an ice cream cone or cup of coffee and strolling through the backstreets to see works of art.
“The purple building is the perfect example of what the project is about,” Reynolds said, pointing to the backside of dental office. “We are literally covering that building in art whether that be the color itself, the painting or the window inserts. It’s transforming the whole building.
“Most people don’t walk down alleys, but we want that in Le Mars.”
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Funded through private donations, public art is planned in nine alleyways to be completed within five to six years.
Artist Lisa Scheitler, of Le Mars, was given a blank wall behind the Shepherd’s Closet, a thrift store that doubles as a Christian ministry, at 36 Central Ave. NE.
She created a folksy mural, complete with whimsy little birds perched among the branches. The large-scale painting also has a stained glass window effect. She wanted color, lots of color – and meaning. “The tree is a symbol of being firmly planted in life,” she said.
Scheitler already has another mural in the works. She’s sketching ideas of an aquatic scene for Perkins Office Solutions on Central Avenue.
On a humid afternoon in June, she volunteered to help with a simpler project of painting a stairwell bright blue. It was a group effort to cover all surfaces. Valerie Hunter, of Le Mars, sat under the steps with brush in hand.
“I like to give back to the community,” she said. “I’m retired so might as well paint.”
Last year, Hunter helped Jean Weiner with the first mural in “Claussen’s Alley,” dubbed after a clothier on the block. She painted the background of the garden scene and Weiner filled in the details.
The two spent most of September in the passageway and befriended a UPS deliveryman. Stores were receiving packages in bulk ahead of the holiday season. “Brown,” as they nicknamed him, drove through every day.
“We told him we’d try to incorporate him into the painting,” Hunter said. She took a picture of him, had it printed out and pinned it to the garden bench for him to see. It was given to him as a parting gift.
Hanging out behind the downtown buildings proved to be a charming experience.
Different themes are carried throughout the corridor. Some are related to nearby businesses but not all. You’ll see an array of frogs and golf motifs, a nod to the “Wizard of Oz” and a celebration of jazz and the era of speakeasies.
“It adds a whole new dimension to downtown,” said Richard Ziettlow, co-chair of the alley art project. “These alleyways have a life of their own.”
The project is one of three public art initiatives in Le Mars. The first called for the installation of 56 painted ice cream cone sculptures, along with a dog and a cow. The second, an ongoing endeavor, promotes historic murals.
The most recent one was done by Harry Gray, of Le Mars. He painted eight black-and-white vignettes on a downtown building along the railroad tracks, depicting the town’s history of trains. An early 1900s accounting scene is planned to grace the side of the firm Kroese & Kroese.
While the large-scale murals require an experienced hand, all skill levels are welcome to color exterior walls, doors and dumpsters.
Heidi Boehme, director of Campus Life Middle School in Le Mars, had a handful of kids helping out one afternoon to earn “credit” toward Youth for Christ Camp. It was a unique service opportunity for them to leave a positive mark on the community.
“A lot of the kids we serve are at-risk,” she said. “This project gives them ownership of something in the community. They did it and they’re not going to destroy it.”
Carlie Arens, 12, stood on a ladder, painting an electrical pole. It started out as a rainbow but turned into a patriot theme instead. She dabbed yellow paint onto a star-shaped stencil. She was excited to take friends and family back to the site and show them her handiwork.
And that’s precisely a point of this project – taking something unexpected and making it a haven of art.
