Artist Name
Jenna Brownlee
Artist Info
Location
La Salud
17 N 1st St
Project Sponsor(s)
Fauna Nord
Kelli Thurston
Installation Date
November 2020
Project Category
- Mural/2D
- Public Art
Marshalltown Selfie Mural
The selected artist, Jenna Brownlee of Des Moines, is known for her beautiful floral work as an Iowa Muralist. With a mission to make people happy through art, her work is often inspired by collages of organic shapes found in nature with themes of bright colors, flowers and typography that encourage others to stop and smell the roses. Jenna’s interactive Marshalltown mural design incorporates flowers, monarch butterflies and the word Soñar, which means ‘to dream’. The flowers chosen are native to Latin America and the butterflies signify the migration monarchs make from Canada to Mexico each Fall. The mural celebrates and symbolizes the migration and journey many Latinos make to America, specifically to our community.
This was the first wall mural in the Marshalltown Mural program, receiving 11 artist proposals from across the state. The committee, in partnership with the project sponsor and building owner, selected Jenna Brownlee.
Project Goals
The mural should have an element of engagement and be interactive, inviting residents and visitors to take pictures with the mural. Since July 2018, Downtown Marshalltown has been rebuilding from the destructive tornado and the recent Derecho storm in August. The goal of this mural is to assist in the continuation of rebuilding and revitalization of the Downtown District, while creating a location for gathering, community pride and engagement, ultimately drawing foot traffic to the heart of our community. It must celebrate our community’s diversity and Latino culture.