Waukee gets funding for first public art piece under new plan to bring color to city

Waukee has received a grant for the city's first public art project since adopting a public art master plan last year.

City officials want to use the plan to guide development of Waukee's artistic cultural identity, including by adding some colorful features to the city's major thoroughfares. The first public art project under the plan — a piece on Tallgrass Pond along Grand Prairie Parkway called "Walk in the Park" — does not yet have a contract in place with an artist.

But city spokesperson Heather Behrens said who the artist will be and more details about the project may be announced soon with a likely spring 2025 installation. Behrens told the Des Moines Register earlier in 2024 the city heard presentations from three artists.

Waukee has received a $50,000 grant for the project from Bravo Greater Des Moines, the region's nonprofit arts council. Waukee City Council members on June 17 approved receipt of the grant.

The city adopted its first public art master plan in November 2023.

"For many people, murals and statues are the first things they think of when they hear 'public art,' but it really incorporates a much richer and more diverse range of possibilities," Assistant City Administrator Nick Osborne said in a news release at the time. "The master planning process really expanded our understanding of what public art could be and the many benefits it can have for our community."

Mayor Courtney Clarke said in the release: "Artists can help highlight the different perspectives on culture and community character. We want to harness that to encourage community connection and help Waukee stand out."

Other artistic possibilities for Waukee listed in the plan include:

• Interactive experiences on the city's trails.
• Colorful features on Hickman Road, University Avenue, Alice’s Road/Grand Prairie Parkway or Douglas Parkway.
• Art in stormwater facilities, such as detention ponds, or perhaps designing new stormwater facilities as works of art themselves.
• An interactive sculpture park.
• Developing distinct identities for Waukee's neighborhoods.

Phillip Sitter covers the western suburbs for the Des Moines Register. Phillip can be reached via email at psitter@gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @pslifeisabeauty.