Artist
Ali Hval, Iowa City, Iowa
https://www.alihval.com/
Unveiled
September 29, 2020
Medium
Paint on rough stone
Description
Mucha Meets Iowa, by Artist Ali Hval, reimagines Aphonse Mucha’s work in the Art Nouveau style by incorporating local Iowan wildlife and plants. The center female figure is taken from one of Mucha’s pieces and has been tweaked by adding local flowers and plants, namely wild roses, black-eyed susans, and coneflowers, in a flower crown. Oak leaves and bicycle wheels are also encircling the figure. In the remaining arches, other Iowan elements are depicted, such as the goldfinch, morels, and bluebells, chronicling the abundance and variety of life across Iowa.
Partners
Commissioning partner: Czech Village New Bohemian Self-Supported Municipal Improvement District (SSMID)
With additional support from: The District, a Main Street Iowa Community; Altorfer Cat; Keep Iowa Beautiful; Diamond Vogel Paint; Da Bunch Co.; Hawkeye Area Labor Council; CR/IC Building Trades Council; the City of Cedar Rapids; Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance; Monica and Jim Piersall; Sue and Jim Novak; Janelle and George McClain; Kymm and Pat Loeffler; Mary Kay and Pat McGrath; Bob Schaffer/Czech Cottage; Graham Construction; Kaitlin and Craig Byers; Lijun and David Chadima; Monica and Bill Vernon; and the Czech Village Association.
Press
New mural in Czech Village, Iowa Cultural Corridor Alliance, July 29, 2020
Beautiful mural being painted in the Czech Village, 94.1 KRNA, August 5, 2020
Painting with a flourish in Czech Village, The Gazette, August 14, 2020
New Mural With Czech Roots to be Unveiled Soon in the Czech Village/New Bohemia District, Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance, August 25, 2020
During the pandemic, public art thriving in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, The Gazette, November 30, 2020