Next two Charles City ‘Town of Colors’ murals being created this week

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

Two new large, colorful murals are being added this week to the Charles City Town of Colors project.

One is on the Riverfront Park wall in front of the Public Library facing the Charles City Whitewater Course, being painted by Matt Litwin.

Litwin said he had family in Charles City when he was a child, and he has fond memories of the community.

He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at School of The Art Institute of Chicago in 2008. He said he began painting murals in Chicago in 2014, then moved to Buenos Aires where he fell in love with the street art community.

His mural complements its location by combining a reading theme and a river theme, with realistic river fish and a turtle.

Litwin said one of his goals is to “create artwork that celebrates and invites natural ecosystems and animals into the public space.”

The second mural is going up on 700 Wisconsin St. on the south-facing wall of the apartment building. This large mural is being painted by Britt Flood and has a science theme.

Flood is based in North Carolina, and said she works to “bring moments of tenderness into the public realm and to cast a spell of connection and awe within the viewer.”

She received her BFA in studio art from Appalachian State University in 2013, and has more than 30 public art installations and has been awarded numerous grants.

Flood said she believes in the transformative power of art and her personal goal is to have a mural in all 50 states. This will be her first in Iowa.

The Charles City Arts Center is holding a free public open house today (Friday) from 5 to 7 p.m. to meet the artists and welcome them to Charles City.

Last year was the first year for the Town of Colors project, resulting in two large, colorful murals facing each other on Main Street.

Four murals are planned to be painted this year, including the two being created this week.

The next two murals will be painted by local artists Janiece Bergland and Robin Macomber, planned for later this summer or early fall on the back wall of The Rustic Corner and the Charles Theatre, and the back wall of Saxony.

The goal of the murals project is to beautify Charles City and support long-term economic growth, according to the Town of Colors committee.

“We are still looking for funding for our two fall murals,” the committee said in a press statement.

Anyone who would like to contribute can send a donation to: Charles City Arts Center, 301 N. Jackson St., Charles City, IA 50616 or donations can be made online at charlescityarts.org under the “Town of Colors” tab.