Pollinators, like this butterfly, are scattered throughout a 9-acre prairie near Orient. Photo: Wallace Centers of Iowa.
The Henry A. Wallace Country Life Center near Orient is offering a socially distant way to enjoy art. Its annual “Prairie Art Exhibit,” which is on display through Aug. 29, displays work from creators from around Iowa in a prairie setting.
More than 75 paintings are set up on 9 acres of land, mounted on fence posts along a 1-mile trail. The theme this year is pollinators, inspiring amateur artists of all ages and skill levels to create paintings of bees, moths, wasps, hummingbirds and more. Artists from Des Moines, Urbandale, Greenfield, Creston, Fontanelle, Casey, Winterset and Orient all contributed to the project, now in its second year.
“We’ve seen paintings created by many more youths this year,” said Deb Houghtaling, president and CEO of Wallace Centers of Iowa. “We were seeking artists to paint boards about the same time as people were isolating themselves. Several parents were looking for things for their kids to do, and this project was the right thing at that time.”
The exhibit is open dawn to dusk every day. More information can be found here
