Mucha Meets Iowa
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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 PaintDa Bunch Co.Hawkeye Area Labor CouncilCR/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