Swiss artist duo creates downtown Cedar Rapids mural honoring community-fueled ConnectCR project

CEDAR RAPIDS — A new public art piece is taking shape in downtown Cedar Rapids to honor the community effort that fueled the $20 million ConnectCR project that’s intended to transform Cedar Lake and build a pedestrian and bike bridge spanning the Cedar River.

NEVERCREW, an award-winning artist duo from Switzerland, won a competitive bid to paint a mural on the parking ramp facing the Second Avenue SE and Fourth Street trail through downtown. The artists started April 20 and will wrap up work this week.

The mural is a nod to the grassroots initiative to revitalize the lake north of downtown and construct a pedestrian-bike bridge connecting Czech Village and NewBo. It also is intended to inspire fresh ideas that will propel Cedar Rapids’ core districts and community to greater heights.

NEVERCREW’s concept captures several iconic images of Cedar Rapids within a multisided crystal that will make up the majority of the mural. The central portion of the crystal reflects the segment of Second Avenue SE facing the art, with the railroad tracks included. It also depicts the Veterans Memorial Building and First Avenue Bridge over the Cedar River, among other locations.

The artist duo is popular throughout much of Europe, and this will be their sixth public art installment in North America. Other completed works are in Vancouver, Miami, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Rochester, N.Y.

Christian Rebecchi and Pablo Togni form the artist duo. They create large format murals and installations that center on the relationship between humans and nature.

With the multidimensional crystal, Rebecchi said the artists hope it gives people a sense of perspective that nature and human-made environments are their own individual assets, but also interact to create a larger connection and “overall balance.”

“Since we work usually around the relationship between humans and nature, we loved the idea to make this kind of a project,” Rebecchi said. “ … Here we wanted to make a sort of connection point between the beautiful city and the land that houses the city. It is always important to us that we are living in nature, we are part of nature.”

NEVERCREW was chosen for the project around two years ago and the project goes back to 2019, Jesse Thoeming, executive director of the Downtown District, said in a statement.

“We’re thrilled this is finally happening,” Thoeming said. “ … It’s been quite the challenge to bring them across the pond in the middle of a global pandemic. But they’re here now and ready to rock. We expect this project to have a positive impact for our downtown.”

Nick Ludwig, chair of the Murals & More nonprofit dedicated to public art, said collaboration between his organization, the city of Cedar Rapids, the Greater Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance and the Downtown District has brought a focus to adding “vibrant, unique, and impactful public art” throughout the urban core, often by local artists.

“NEVERCREW’s work here will undoubtedly increase a sense of international cosmopolitanism to our downtown, while at the same time pay tribute to a project years in the making that’s going to take our community to a whole new level,” Ludwig said.

Once complete, Cedar Lake’s transformation from an eyesore into a recreational hub will include a boardwalk and handicap-accessible piers, preserve wetlands on the north shore and add paddle sport launch locations, floating islands and a nature-based playground.

The Alliant Energy LightLine pedestrian-bike bridge will have two lighting systems — one internal, one external — and will be part of Cedar Rapids’ segment of the American Discovery Trail for pedestrians and bicyclists. It also is part of the Great American Rail-Trail.

The whole project is anticipated to be completed by 2025, with the bridge work wrapping up in 2024.

Several more public art additions are planned for downtown throughout 2022.

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