Area Murals Display Artistic Perspective of The Iowa Great Lakes Corridor
The Iowa Great Lakes is surrounded by incredible natural beauty that provides inspiration to visitors and locals on a regular basis. Communities also have a strong heritage filled with stories and memories that are passed on to younger generations. One way these stories remain is through beautiful murals painted in strategic places to highlight the area’s history and give a passersby a glimpse of the region’s scenic landscape.
Arnolds Park Amusement Park
On May 17, 2024, Arnolds Park Amusement Park had a ribbon cutting for the area’s newest mural, showcasing beautiful artwork depicting areas of the amusement park. The Okoboji Middle School’s No Boundaries Program spearheaded the All Aboard project with The Nutty Bar Stand as its partner.
The 8x32 foot mural sits on the back of the Midway Games building, next to the train tunnel, and it was painted by Lili Lennox.
Lili has been a scenic artist and muralist for over 17 years, with her most notable clients being Macy’s Special Events, the Loews Hotel Minneapolis, Split Rock Studio’s Museum Services, and numerous public art commissions. You can find her murals installed in businesses and organizations across the country, but mainly concentrated in Minnesota. To see more of her work, visit gildedlili.com.
The idea for enhancing the Milwaukee Train ride came from four Okoboji eighth graders: Cooper Boone, Khloe Dorman-Heath, Jordyn Mitchell and Jake Pausley. Lili Lennox then took their ideas and created a beautiful masterpiece for people of all generations to enjoy.
Emerald Hills Golf Course
In the summer of 2021, John Neal completed an artistic work of art under the direction of Imagine Iowa Great Lakes Mural Project, transforming a building on the southwest side of Emerald Hills Golf Course into an attractive showstopper. Over the course of a week, vehicles driving by could watch the artistic progress of the beautiful mural.
John painted the area’s favorite pastimes on the building’s corrugated metal walls, using Keim mineral paint that doesn’t fade. The mural theme is “A Day in the Life: Okoboji,” showcasing excited people golfing, swimming, boating, water skiing, and biking – everything tourists and locals love about the Iowa Great Lakes.
John Neil has a master’s degree in painting from Drake University and originally spent 11 years painting billboards. He’s been painting for over 40 years now, whether it’s illustration to fine arts and murals. He was honored to paint one of the Imagine murals and more of his work can be viewed at johnwneal.com.
La Barca Mexican Restaurant Mural
A colorful mural welcomes guests at La Barca Mexican Restaurant in Arnolds Park, along Highway 71.
Spine Trail
A hidden mural many may miss is on Spine Trail on the edge of Arnolds Park and Okoboji. It’s a tunnel that goes under the Highway 71 bridge, just west of the Ritz, and is perfect for a bike ride, a run or a walk. This mural was funded by Imagine Iowa Great Lakes and is covered with bright colors and highlights fish and birds found in area lakes, making a great backdrop for vacation photos or unique selfies.
This is one of the first murals in Imagine Iowa Great Lakes’ mural program, launched in 2020, and aimed to bring artistry, color, and interest to the area by commissioning regional artists to paint murals for the public to enjoy. Mural themes have striven to capture the spirit of Okoboji and reflect life in the Iowa Great Lakes Region with a focus on family fun, the area’s unique ecology, natural beauty, and the special qualities that make Okoboji a great place to visit and live.
The artist for the Spine Trail mural was Thomas F. Agran, who had the assistance of Ali Hval. Thomas currently resides in Iowa City and is dedicated to the Midwestern landscape. He’s taught painting and drawing at Iowa since 2011 and worked for three years as the Director of Public Art for the Iowa City Downtown District. In addition to his studio practice, mural work, and teaching, he also serves as a consultant for murals and other public art programs and projects.
Throwing Post — City of Arnolds Park
The city of Arnolds Park is depicted on the wall of the Throwing Post. Designed and created by muralist Jenna Brownlee, her desire was to capture the iconic and beloved imagery of Arnolds Park and West Lake Okoboji. The goal of the finished piece was to draw attention towards Allen Street and gain traffic through the rest of Downtown Arnolds Park.
Jenna Brownlee is from Des Moines, and after studying multiple art mediums at the Des Moines Art Center, she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Graphic Design and an Entrepreneurship Certificate from the University of Iowa. She has grown into a well-known painter and international muralist, designing murals for communities all over Iowa. She was the 2023 Des Moines Arts Festival Featured Artist, is represented by Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design, offers commissions and is an international muralist.
Her artwork can be seen at jennabrownlee.com.
Okoboji Summer Theatre
Another beautiful, detailed mural designed by artist Lili Lennox adorns a building on the Okoboji Summer Theatre grounds. Bright beautiful flowers, a butterfly and a bee are highlighted against a blue background, catching the eye of anyone traveling along Highway 71. The mural was funded by Imagine Iowa Great Lakes and was completed in August 2021.
In 2020, Executive Director of Imagine Iowa Great Lakes Michelle Goodenow shared how the murals were a part of the organization’s beautification mission. “The idea behind the Mural Program is simply to bring color and interest to the Highway 71 Corridor and the streets of the region.”
Lakeside Woodworking
On the corner of North Market and Railroad Streets and on the south wall of Lakeside Woodworking in Lake Park, a beautiful floral scene is displayed that draws the eye to anyone driving downtown. The whimsical scene was designed in 2009 for the former tenant, “Blossoms and Blooms” floral shop, and showcases a collection of flowers, fairies, and other aspects of a flower garden. Painted by Rebecca Lev or “Daisy,” she adds her artistic perspective and touches of beauty to different walls in the community.
Great Lakes Countertops & Kitchens
Across the street, to the west, three artistic windows showcase murals for the City of Lake Park, Great Lakes Countertops and Kitchens and the Lake Park Museum. Also designed by Rebecca Lev, each artistic piece draws the eye and captures interest. The one in the middle highlights the City of Lake Park, as it gives a glimpse of the area’s natural landscape to the heritage found along the streets of downtown Lake Park. The window to the left points towards the city’s museum, and the window at the top right, highlights Great Lakes Countertops and Windows, whose storefront is around the mural’s corner.
Hometown Florals
On the north wall of Hometown Florals, another depiction of Lake Park created by Lake Park's very own highschool students, under the instruction of Kari Bruinsma. There are highlights of freedom, from cornfields and the American flag, to the eyes of the Harris-Lake Park's Wolves' mascot and a flying bald eagle.
East Leech Park
Local artist Chad Elliot created a beautiful mosaic in 2000 at East Leech Park in Spencer. “The Gathering: Of Time, Of Land, Of Many Hands” is a mosaic sculpture project led by Nina Smoot-Cain and John Pittman Weber. With the help of local artist volunteers, like Chad Elliot, they created an attractive art piece for everyone to appreciate.
Hansen's Plumbing & Heating
A 2011 Spencer alum, Kipp Davis is an artist, graphic designer and owner of KDARTONLINE.COM. Based out of the Midwest, he has designed numerous murals, hosts live demos at places like the Clay County Fair and leads directional art classes throughout the Midwest. He designed and created a beautiful mural on the west side of Hansen’s Plumbing and Heating, just off Grand Avenue in Spencer.
The colorful mural spans the entire west side of the building and is everything Spencer, including the community’s famous library cat, Dewey, and the constant depiction of the town’s train system. More of Kipp’s art can be found at kdartonline.com.
Limitless Art & Iron Tattoo
Another of Kipp’s work promoting positivity can be found on the east wall of Limitless Art and Iron Tattoo, not far from his other mural of Spencer. Angel wings and skulls were designed to depict positivity and is a perfect selfie for anyone passing by.
Spencer Public Library
A piece by Chad Elliot entitled “Prairie Song” was made possible by a grant from the American Library Association and is displayed above the library’s fireplace. Elliot said the artwork brings him back to the early days of his career.
A songwriter, who to make ends meet, took a job painting signs. When he wasn’t holding a brush, he spent his time writing songs and playing guitars. He has created over 2,000 songs in his career, while also cultivating his skills as a painter, sculptor and illustrator at Elliott Art Studio in Jefferson, IA. His work can be seen at www.chadelliott.net.
Midwest Modern
“Turn Left at the Light!” These simple words are the theme behind an artistic piece painted on the south side of Midwest Modern in Spirit Lake. Muralist Jenna Rasmussen of Creatives by Jenna LLC created a realistic depiction on the store’s outside wall, showing the modern style of furniture and home décor.
She wrote at completition, “THANK YOU Midwest Modern for the opportunity to brighten up the side of your building — This is one of my biggest projects yet & dare I say.. one of the most fun?! Meet the place where my deep love for all things furniture & home decor / painting collide! If you get the chance, stop by this beautiful store & get greeted with a chipper attitude, smiling face & and some of the most unique and fun home decor I have ever seen!
The mother-daughter pair of Shannon Dunham and Amanda Williams got to know Jenna as she shopped their store and a relationship was built.
“We love Jenna and got to know her from her shopping at our store and have loved seeing her transition into an entrepreneur. We always have supported artists with bringing in their work and helping them sell on our floor, so having a custom mural done made a lot of sense. The mural is on the south side of our building that faces Ferguson's and all the traffic heading north in 71, so we wanted to take advantage of that,” Shannon said. “Jenna and Amanda got together and came up with a design that was colorful and telling of what you would find inside our store along with a call action.”
Jenna has now designed seven different types of murals in the Iowa Great Lakes, including a postcard depicting different Okoboji scenes at Captain's Getaway or a decorative scene on Oak Hill’s gas pump. You can learn more about Creatives by Jenna LLC at creativesbyjenna.com.