Let’s Collaborate!

We believe that public art is a powerful way to bring people together to celebrate life, preserve heritage and pass on a beautiful legacy.

Do you have an idea for a mural in Pella? We invite you to submit your ideas here!

Submit Your Ideas

Forever Pella

Eliana Davila’s Forever Pella is inspired by special traditions, attractions and familiar icons, and lots and lots of tulips.

Each year the city of Pella plants more than 300,000 tulips in parks and plantings across the community. The tulips depicted in Forever Pella are representations of actual tulips that are grown in Pella. Although every spring is “tulip time” in Pella, the beautiful booms in this mural will be in full display year ‘round.

The stamp wall featuring familiar Pella icons is reminiscent of stickers collected by world travelers. These stamps celebrate that Pella is known for much more than tulips. These cherished landmarks create our landscape no matter the season. Pictured are Central College, Lake Red Rock, the Vermeer Windmill, the Scholte House, the Klokkenspel, and the Molengracht drawbridge.

The final mural inside the Cellar Peanut Pub courtyard is inspired by the Lion Crest from the House of Orange-Nassau, the royal family of the Netherlands. The lion is a symbol of strength and power and has been on the Netherlands’ coat of arms for more than 400 years.

These three sections combine to help tell the story of Pella’s past, present, and future. They reflect the staying power of our heritage who we are, and who we will always be…Forever Pella.

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CALL FOR ARTIST – This Call has been closed

Spirit of Pella is looking for an artist or artist team to produce a large-scale mural on the back exterior walls of the Blush building at 635 Franklin Street which wraps around into the Cellar Peanut Pub beer garden and courtyard. There are 5 separate walls.

Wall dimensions are approximate.
Southwest wall: 16′ x 15′
Loading Dock wall: 8′ x 18′
Southeast wall: 28′ x 20′
Cellar Peanut Pub Beer Garden wall: 36′ x 23′
Cellar Peanut Pub Courtyard wall: 14′ x 23′

Theme

For this project, the goal of the mural design is to bring the community and attract visitors to the Downtown Pella District and represent Pella with a vibrant, cool vibe. Beautification and providing a unique photo-opp is best suited for these goals leaving the project neutral in subjects such as social, cultural and political issues.

Submission Deadline: CLOSED

Our Mission

This mural is part of Spirit of Pella’s mission to enhance under utilized spaces and create opportunities for people to connect through public art, events, and a magical holiday season.

Spirit of Pella’s First Mural

Hannah Heschke’s Happy Days is inspired by Dutch folk art painting from the small farming village of Staphorst, in the province of Overijssel, The Netherlands.

Dating back to the early 1900s, Stipwerk, or dotwork, is done with the heads of different sized nails. The nail heads are dipped in paint and then pressed on to the fabric. The process is repeated until the desired patterns are formed. This style of painting was created to imitate expensive European fabrics with woven-in patterns.

The colors that are used tell us something about the wearer. Red, blue, yellow, green and white are used for “happy” days; blue and white for times of mourning; blue, white and some green for market or work days but always on a black background. The designs are most often symmetrical and geometric or floral.

Staphorst women and girls continue to decorate fabric using this nail-head painting technique on the bodice (kraplap) and caps (muts) of their traditional Dutch clothing, which is still worn today.

You will see this style of painting on Dutch-inspired art, wares, costumes, and wooden shoes found in Pella.