See some of Gabi Torres’ work is displayed in the Grove in Clinton through the summer. Photo: Courtesy of Gabi Torres.
Writer: Michael Morain
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs
An idea that sprouted during the pandemic is now fully grown. The Grove, an outdoor art exhibit, opened this week in a pocket park in Clinton.
Its creator, local artist Gabi Torres, describes it as an “art forest.” She used a pandemic-relief grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to hire a pair of local woodworkers to create a thicket of free-standing poles and frames to display a dozen paintings.
The project will remain through this fall in an overlooked space between a low-income neighborhood and some warehouses on the riverfront. As Torres puts it, “I love that this will be the backdrop for something so beautiful.”
