‘American Gothic’ statues add whimsy, color to local landscapes

CEDAR RAPIDS - Grant Wood's 'American Gothic” father and daughter are looking a little less dour and even downright whimsical these days.

That's thanks to area artists who have turned the twosome into landscape vistas, pop culture icons, futuristic silhouettes, freedom fighters, hipsters and even a couple of beers.

Overalls All Over, an outdoor public-art project that debuted 15 years ago, is back, with 25 all-new fiberglass statues taking their places this week in honor of Wood's 125th birthday.

The iconic Iowa artist created the much admired, studied and parodied pair in 1930 in his Cedar Rapids studio at 5 Turner Alley, 810 Second Ave. SE. The original oil painting can be seen at the Art Institute of Chicago, but Eastern Iowa visitors can view the 3-D versions at various sites around Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins, Amana and Eldon from now through Labor Day.

'The goal of the project is to give people from outside the area a reason to come and visit. It's to celebrate Grant Wood and his legacy here in Cedar Rapids,” said Jennifer Pickar, director of communications and marketing for exhibit organizer, Go Cedar Rapids, the city's newly renamed convention and visitors bureau. 'And it's just another fun way to get our residents moving around the community.

'This is a free thing. You could spend a whole weekend stopping at each of the statues and taking your picture. It's just a fun way to celebrate art in the Cedar Rapids area.”

About 60 artists answered the call to participate, and at least 25 had a hand in painting and decorating the statues. Chicago Fiberglass Works, which also created the most recent Herky on Parade statues in Iowa City, created the white base forms, which cost about $1,200 apiece.

The project, 18 months in the planning, was financed through grants and sponsorships.

A $15,000 grant from the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation, through the Gerald T. Knox Donor-Advised Fund, 'was essential” in launching the program, Pickar said. Anne Stamats of Black Earth Gallery in the NewBo Cherry Building also was instrumental in proposing the project, then calling for designs from artists with local ties.

The city of Cedar Rapids and Guaranty Bank and Trust signed on as presenting sponsors - at $10,000 each - and more than 20 other businesses and organizations added sponsorships ranging from $3,500 to $5,000.

Each sponsor selected a design, then spoke with the artist to finalize the look. Artists had a month to finish their creations. They received $1,500 for labor and materials - and in at least one case, transportation.

Cedar Rapids native Terri Willits trucked two statues to her home studio in St. Louis. Even wrapped under shipping blankets and secured with bungee straps, she got 'a few weird looks” from motorists passing her pickup.

'The feet were sticking out ...

but they couldn't tell what they were yet,” she said.

The stark-white statues - before they were painted and decorated - made her jump more than once, too, she admitted.

'The first few nights that I walked into my basement, I had to do a doubletake because they were staring at me,” she said with a laugh. 'You turn on the basement lights and there they are. The dogs weren't real happy at first, like, ‘Who are these poor people standing in the corner?'”

She covered the statues in Bubble Wrap for the return trip, and is coming in June to see her two pairs of statues on their concrete pedestals, at Wells Fargo Bank on 150 First Ave. NE downtown and the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

While Willits typically works in mixed media and acrylics, her current focus is on encaustic painting, using hot wax to create layers that melt into an ever-changing, fluid design. For her statues, however, she dipped back to her scenic-artistry roots to make sure the finished products looked like the agreed-upon designs.

And as with so many of the statues, her creations hold lots of hidden gems for visitors to find, from a wagon wheel and a money bag on the cowboy-themed Wells Fargo statue, to a letter to Wood on the woman's apron and the American Gothic house on the back of the man's jacket in her design for the Museum of Art piece sponsored by Transamerica.

'I just say can't enough about the level of detail the artists put into each statue,” Pickar said. 'You can see the pictures online or in print, but it's not the same. You need to look all around the statues. Some of the backs are just as stunning as the fronts. A lot have tiny details, so you'll want to take a very close look.”

And maybe a selfie, with the hashtag #croveralls to share on social media.

Five travel writers from across the country have been in Cedar Rapids this week for a Grant Wood immersion. Area residents and visitors have several other opportunities to celebrate the artist and his legacy, including an extensive Grant Wood/Marvin Cone exhibition through May 15 at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, along with other works displayed in the permanent Wood gallery; the Wood-themed 2X2XU public art display on fences and in windows in the NewBo District; and Grant Wood walking tours all summer through the History Center.

Other examples of Wood's legacy are on display at 5 Turner Alley, Brucemore mansion and the mammoth stained glass window at the Veterans Memorial Building on May's Island, just waiting to be discovered and rediscovered in this anniversary year.