ParkArt Progress

The Spencer Area Arts Council, (SAAC) has been awarded the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) grant "Artists & Communities: America Creates for the Millennium." The grant provides salaries for Iowa's artists in residency located in Spencer to create art reflecting our community and state.

This award is significant in several respects:

This is the first time NEA has funded a nationwide project.
Spencer is the only city in the state of Iowa to be involved in this national artistic incentive.
This project will be documented, catalogued, and included in a permanent NEA national volume.

Local financial responsibility includes artist housing, local transportation and all materials and work space necessary for constructing ParkArt 2000.

To meet the project budget of over $80,000, ParkArt is pursuing funding from government agencies and national and regional business community members. ParkArt invites you to join with the community in helping to raise funds necessary to complete this monumental area project.

Over 200 people placed a vinyl "tile" on one of the mosaic sign letters which were taken to City Hall, Spencer Public Library, the Senior Center, coffee shops, Head Start, and other locations. This sign marks the location of the future monument.

At the Spencer Public Library

One set of ParkArt mosaic letters -
in progress

Iowa Governor Vilsack applying a "tile"

smgov2.jpg (16189 bytes)

Iowa Governor Vilsack with an "A"

The completed sign is two-sided
(in a V shape).

This sign marks the location of the future monument.

research	brainstorm		cut paper designs
design ideas		John and Nina develop design	history of the land takes shape
transfer to paper template			work on practice pieces

apply contact paper	laying of the first design tile	tile work

If you have questions about this project, contact the ParkArt Coordinator, Judy Hemphill, phone 712-260-1373 or at hemphill@nwiowa.com.

back to ParkArt Home page

last updated July, 2000

ParkArt Progress

This award is significant in several respects:

This is the first time NEA has funded a nationwide project.

Spencer is the only city in the state of Iowa to be involved in this national artistic incentive.

This project will be documented, catalogued, and included in a permanent NEA national volume.

Over 200 people placed a vinyl "tile" on one of the mosaic sign letters which were taken to City Hall, Spencer Public Library, the Senior Center, coffee shops, Head Start, and other locations. This sign marks the location of the future monument.