2023 Art on the Prairie
Activity Schedule
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Saturday, November 12th
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Sunday, November 13th
PLUS: Extended Hours & Holiday Open Houses at Area Businesses! 
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2023 Festival Features:
Featured Artist: Anna Segner
Exhibit at The Cellar at La Poste | 1219 Warford St
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Anna Segner, a Minnesota native, is a studio artist focused in painting, mixed media and assemblage. In her practice, Anna incorporates critical animal studies and other research to question the human act of “toying” with animals and nature. Anna earned her MFA from Iowa State University in spring of 2019 and a Bachelor of Arts in Literature with Writing Emphasis and Studio Art from Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota in 2015. She currently teaches drawing at Iowa State University.
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End Table Ecosystem or Toy (With) Animals
Throughout history, toys reflect the values of societies and shape children’s worldviews. Today, the popularity of animal-based toys swell, suggesting a society-wide admiration of animals misplaced in consumerism, and the toy industry responds to meet the demand. However, the industry contributes to the degradation of the environment, disruption of ecosystems, and shrinking biodiversity. Within children’s bountiful piles of colorful plastic and polyester is nostalgia for a wilderness now scarce. In addition to the destruction, the toy industry does little to educate children about animal context, agency, and anatomy. Artworks contrast the real and toy animal in and out of their natural context to question what has been lost. In my work, animal-based toys and objects are examined as subject in still life paintings.
Created from still lifes, paintings depict animal toys in domestic spaces often replicating a natural environment or animal realities. For example, my painting “Watering Hole III” depicts a toy scene that could never occur in nature—predator and prey (as well as extinct) animals coexisting in harmony around a watering hole, aka the sink. These works mourn the fading natural existence of animals and examine materialism’s role in decontextualization of the animal.
NEW Art on the Prairie Mural
Installed above Raccoon Valley Bank at the corner of 2nd & Warford Street
Celebration & Festival Kick-off on Friday at 4pm at Perry Perk
Meet the Artists at Perry Perk during Festival Hours on Saturday & Sunday
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Art on the Prairie Mural As one of three We the Many pilot programs, Art on the Prairie has been grateful to Arts Midwest and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for the opportunity to explore what it means to be a Midwesterner through the creative exchange of voices, cultures, and ideas. We are equally appreciative of extension funding to further our goals and expand relationships forged within our community. |
Carrying on from programming in 2020-2022, Art on the Prairie has commissioned Des Moines artists Jimmy Navarro and Katie Jensen for the creation and installation of a public art mural in Perry’s historic downtown. It is our vision that this will not only add vibrancy to our community but a visual component to our rich storytelling tradition. Through the process, community members have been able to watch the progress and even help paint during community painting events.
The new Art on the Prairie mural depicts a Dallas County prairie landscape in a style reminiscent of stained glass. We the Many represents the many individual stories that connect, bridge, and blend together through commonality and finding common ground. Much like a stained glass mosaic with many individual pieces, our diverse community is stronger with many individual connections. Similarly, the diversity of a prairie’s ecosystem is the key to its sustainability and long-term success. Just as prairie roots grow deep, so too, do the roots of Community in a small town.
Now complete and installed above Raccoon Valley Bank, the mural stretches approximately 75 feet wide near the intersection of 2nd Street and Warford Street. During the festival, visit with Jimmy and Katie at Perry Perk to learn more about the process and hidden details within the mural.
We the Many is a project of Arts Midwest with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, and South Dakota Arts Council.
The new Art on the Prairie mural depicts a Dallas County prairie landscape in a style reminiscent of stained glass. We the Many represents the many individual stories that connect, bridge, and blend together through commonality and finding common ground. Much like a stained glass mosaic with many individual pieces, our diverse community is stronger with many individual connections. Similarly, the diversity of a prairie’s ecosystem is the key to its sustainability and long-term success. Just as prairie roots grow deep, so too, do the roots of Community in a small town.
Now complete and installed above Raccoon Valley Bank, the mural stretches approximately 75 feet wide near the intersection of 2nd Street and Warford Street. During the festival, visit with Jimmy and Katie at Perry Perk to learn more about the process and hidden details within the mural.
We the Many is a project of Arts Midwest with generous support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and in partnership with the Indiana Arts Commission, Iowa Arts Council, and South Dakota Arts Council.
Featured Artist: Tom Chouteau
Kaleidoscope Works Art Gallery
Kaleidoscope Caravan "Pop-up" on 2nd Street
Tom Chouteau is a native of Davenport, Iowa and has been creating kaleidoscopes for 30 years. He has been the recipient of many awards and has led dozens of workshops on the subject of kaleidoscope creation. People of all ages have been taught by Tom how kaleidoscopes are put together, what makes them work, and the many varieties of mirror tunnels and images that can be created. Tom has taught after school classes in the Iowa Quad Cities, demonstrated at local organizations and clubs, and directed senior citizens and teen classes at area libraries.
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Check out his "kaleidoscope on wheels" parked on 2nd Street in front of Atelier at 1109 during the Art on the Prairie Festival... fun for all ages! Visitors are encouraged to stop by and experience a mirrored, kaleidoscope environment inside this colorful school bus.
Lit up with fluorescent black lights & painted details inside, the Kaleidoscope Caravan is a sight to experience |
My mission is to place kaleidoscopes and mirrored environments out in front of the public eye in the best way possible so that those who view them may have their lives enhanced and refreshed.
The bus is now a Kaleidoscope Caravan. It's a 1985 Chevy Thomas School Bus that I purchased from Midcoast Fine Arts in 2005 for $1. The bus was converted by them to be a First Fine Art experience for 3rd graders of the Quad City Metro Area. It was named "the Art-O-Mobile". The agreement we made when I purchased it, was that I would use it for educational purposes.
I worked on the Caravan in a sporadic way. One year, I'd work on the brakes, the next year, installing mirrors, and, maybe the next, painting the exterior! My whole challenge was to be able to take it to schools, campgrounds, fairs, and parties. But now I'm starting to feel that, maybe, I should have it stay in one place most of the time. Have people come to visit, at least, until I'm able to really get the get-up very sound....kind of like the Wizard of Oz!