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Fostering Community with Public Art

Iowa State University College of Design
Jennifer Drinkwater teaching high school students and local artists the art of printmaking for a steamroller printmaking event in Perry.

This program originally aired on October 14, 2015.

The act of making art can be powerful on a personal level, but it can also be a powerful force in a community. 

"Public art is like locally grown food," says Tom Stancliffe, art professor and sculptor at the University of Northern Iowa. "There's value in having the people around you shape the space."

On this edition of Talk of Iowa, Charity Nebbe talks with artists and community leaders in Perry, Grinnell, Cedar Falls, and Iowa City. Each is using art to improve the fabric of their communities through projects like murals, yarn bombs, poetry projects, painted benches, and city statues.

Charity Nebbe is the host of IPR's Talk of Iowa