The nonprofit group Keokuk Walldogs has completed seven murals in the community, and they’re now getting to work on their next one.
“There are enough that we’re looking into trying to do kind of a trail of the Walldog murals,” said Dev Kiedaisch of the Keokuk Cultural and Entertainment District.
“When I have somebody in town visiting, I drive them around to see all the murals because they’re fun to see, they’re beautiful, and they’re quite an asset to our community.”
Honoring historic leaders
The newest artwork, the Keokuk Leaders Mural, highlights four people from the community’s history. It was completed in September.
“There have been many great leaders over time, but the people represented in the mural are unique in that they used the skills that they possessed to provide aid to others facing life or death circumstances,” said Walldog’s Martha Neff in a release.
The mural can be seen on the side of the James Healthcare & Associates building at Seventh and Main. It features the following leaders (biographies provided by Keokuk Walldogs):
- Annie Whittenmyer, who was a relief worker. When the Civil War broke out, Wittenmyer responded by traveling to military hospitals where she witnessed unsanitary conditions and soldiers suffering from malnutrition. She organized others and created special diet kitchens in the hospitals.After she focused on providing retirement living for nurses and war widows and orphans.
- Chief Keokuk, who was a leader with great oratorical skills. He used his skills to protect what was left of the Sauk people from certain death. Rather than continue to take up arms against the white settlers, he did his best to ensure safety and peace for all.
- Charlotta Pyles, who was born a slave, but was brought to Keokuk to be freed by Frances Gordon, the woman who had inherited her. Pyles gave public lectures in Philadelphia, New York and other cities and raised money to purchase her other family members.
- Supreme Court Justice Samuel F. Miller, who was nominated to the U.S Supreme Court by President Abraham Lincoln. He authored landmark decisions and fought to provide equal protection under the law.
The mural was designed by Laura DeJong, formerly of Keokuk. DeJong used what she refers to as hyper sepia tones to give the mural both a retro and a modern look.
Make a Difference Day
Neff said Keokuk Walldogs’ next mural was designed by high school sophomore Alice Benedict, who joined the group over the summer.
It will go on a large concrete wall along Main St. between North Second and North Third streets across from the mall. It will be their largest mural to date, and will feature a few symbols of Iowa: pink wild roses and goldfinches.
Neff said national Make a Difference Day is Saturday, Oct. 24, and the group will use the time leading up to that date and the date itself to work on the project.
“We want as many people as possible to come help make a difference down there at the gateway into Keokuk,” Neff said. “Anyone, any age, can be a part of it.”
The value of public art
TSPR met with Kiedaisch, Neff, and city council member/former mayor Kathie Mahoney at The Lost Canvas Coffee, 719 Main St. in Keokuk, to talk about the Walldogs’ work. We asked each about their thoughts on the value of public art.
Mahoney said murals and other public pieces are more than just artwork.
“I think it makes landmarks, preserves history, it brings visitors to town. And I just don’t think you can just call it artwork,” Mahoney said. She said public art is something that works for all ages.
Kiedaisch said the cultural and entertainment district is dedicated to the importance of all the arts.
“I think it’s just part of the atmosphere of the community. People can enjoy it as they’re walking around or driving around, and people can enjoy working together on it. It builds community and it’s a really important thing,” Kiedaisch said.
Neff approached it from the perspective of a longtime educator.
“For me, it’s about engagement. I’m a retired school teacher. I taught art for 34 years. As a retired teacher, I could stay home and paint by myself, but I want to be in a creative environment, so I like to work with other people and use my skill set to make things happen and make art together,” Neff said.
She said another possible project is creation of a coloring book of the murals to give to fourth and fifth graders. There will also be a blank page that encourages students to create their own mural design.
The books will also provide information about each of the murals and the artists.
Neff said people can contribute to projects in various ways. They can paint, haul materials, or sand or prime panels for the murals.
She said the all-volunteer Keokuk Walldogs can also use help raising money for projects, and said they have volunteers who have written grant applications to help with fundraising.
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