.png)
Seeking Applications
from Indigenous Artists
Project Overview
The Historic Poor Farm’s Disability Advisory Committee (DAC) is seeking an Iowa-based Indigenous artist (must be 18 or older) to design an original scene on a 2’ x 20’ mural, suitable for placement at a public site.
​
Current plans for the mural consist of painting a timeline of the Historic Poor Farm; because the farm operated for over 130 years, the day to day onsite looked very different across that timespan. The mural will be painted on primed sheets of metal that will hang on the back of repurposed animal feed bunks (see attached photos). The short and wide surface lends itself to being painted as a timeline. There will be interpretive signage along with the mural, not only to identify the mural, but also to provide further context for the mural’s messaging. The artist will also be asked to contribute to the interpretive signage that will accompany the mural.
​
Project Objective
The selected artist will collaborate with the artist team that drafted the original timeline mural concept in order to design the “pre-1855” section of the mural. It is the selected artist’s choice how far backin time the timeline starts; the artist will be designing atop an already-created background. Additional elements of the design could include plants native to the area and/or Indigenous people wearing historically-accurate clothing and engaging in historically-accurate activities, like daily chores (growing food, caring for one another, etc) and/or moments of celebration and togetherness.
​
The goal of this piece of the mural project is to provide recognition to the Indigenous people who stewarded this land long before the Poor Farm institution existed, as well as adding color and beauty to the site. The Community Painting Days are meant to leverage a community sense of pride and connection to the site, while sharing its history – more specifically, its Indigenous history.
Reach out to Julie Watkins at jwatkins@johnsoncountyiowa.gov with any questions. Submissions are due Tuesday, June 30 at noon (CST).
​