![]() He had this funny little smile.”ĭahlquist said he uses a self-developed scoping technology to identify artistic themes for the rest areas that connect them to the surrounding communities. Since his death, Wood's work has also gained historical importance, Pitts said, documenting a bypassed simpler era of agriculture in which fieldwork was performed by hand or with draft animals. Pitts said there's plenty to see and learn about in the area regarding Wood, who is only known widely for his painting even though he worked in stained glass, wrought iron, silver, wood and other mediums. Pitts believes the Wood-themed rest area will inspire some travelers to spend time in the Cedar Rapids area, visiting Wood's Five Turner Alley studio, his former art colony site in Stone City, a collection of his work at the museum, or his stained glass installations in public buildings. He called them “psychological landscapes,” which tended to make you feel you were in a specific place.Ĭedar Rapids Museum of Art Executive Director Terry Pitts was one of the people Dahlquist consulted before proposing the Grant Wood art theme for the rest area. Van Allen said Wood's landscapes were “more like memories than perception,” with lollipop-shaped trees and other simplified elements. “He's famous largely because he was so influential,” Van Allen said. Wood emerged during the peak popularity of abstract expressionism, but became a key figure in the regionalist movement that realistically depicted people and scenes of Middle America that the artists knew intimately. Van Allen said the pop culture adaptations of “American Gothic” have little to do with Grant Wood's place in the history of art. “Rest stops tend to be in the middle of a landscape, so there's some appropriateness there.” Wood “did a lot of landscapes, a lot of Iowa landscapes,” Van Allen said. “Artists tend to be more interesting characters than, say, CEOs.” Photographer David Van Allen, professor emeritus of art at Mount Mercy University in Cedar Rapids, didn't hesitate long when asked what he thought of Dahlquist's idea. “I thought it was wonderful that we could pay homage to art, and he's arguably the best-known Iowa artist.” ![]() “Very few people across the United States ever knew Grant Wood came from Iowa, or how important he was to the regionalist art movement, or that this is the area where he painted American Gothic,” Dahlquist said. He saw an opportunity to fuse art and economic development by featuring Wood's work. The entire art installation is called “The View from Our Window: Grant Wood in Iowa.” The inspiration came from public artist David Dahlquist.ĭahlquist, creative director at RDG Dahlquist Design Studio in Des Moines, has developed art concepts and designs for many Iowa rest areas. It is reproduced at one of the rest area's entrances. ![]() ![]() Wood's painting “Arbor Day,” showing a rural one-room schoolhouse, is represented on Iowa's state quarter. “American Gothic” is echoed in the stained glass gothic windows outside the rest area building, and in images of the painting's male and female characters inside the rest area, which provide a visual clue to distinguish the men's and women's restroom. You will begin to receive our Daily News updates. Add your contacts. ![]()
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