Hills, Art & More highlights local artist
Jenna Comes, The Mapleton Press
There are artists in the Harrison County Times-Reporter readership who will be at this event.
Hills, Art & More, Not Your Typical Art Tour takes place this weekend, Saturday, Oct. 10, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, Oct. 11, from noon to 4 p.m. This event is being organized by and for artists as a self-guided tour through parts of the beautiful central Loess Hills.
It is an opportunity for local artists to showcase their work and offer it for sale to the public during this two-day self-guided tour through the Loess Hills area. The area within the Hills includes these towns: Correctionville, Anthon, Oto, Smithland, Mapleton, Ute, Soldier and Moorhead. Brochures are available in each town.
Annie Porter, one of the event organizers, said they have 26 artists participating.
Rory Conrad from Dunlap and Dolores Dorland from Missouri Valley will be in Mapleton at the Graceful Grind Coffeehouse.
Organizers have been planning this event since April and have been meeting every other week at the Onawa Library.
Porter explained that the group Serendipity, a handful of artists primarily from Woodbury County, approached her last spring. They had all collectively participated in the Missouri River Art Crawl for the last two years.
They asked her about starting a self-guided auto tour through the Hills of Iowa. Porter said that was an awesome idea.
“We are truly committed to the arts and the hills,” she added. “It should be pretty beautiful at the time of this. Everything will start to get ready to change and everything. It’s very important to the group that we highlight the hills. It’s a huge part of why this is even occurring.”
According to their website: “Our mission is to connect communities and travelers with the vibrant creative spirit of the Loess Hills, fostering appreciation for our local artists while showcasing the stunning seasonal beauty of our landscape. We are inviting the public to travel to Loess Hills and experience not only the beauty of the hills, but also the creativity of its resident artists.”
The group submitted a Gilchrist grant application, which got them enough funds to start a website, purchase signage, pay postage and purchase other materials needed.
Artists who were interested in participating submitted an application.
“We have artists from all around,” Porter said, as the event will feature painting, sculpture, fiber art, original jewelry, pottery and much more. “We have a very diverse selection of artwork.”
“If they go to that website while they’re traveling about or making their choices, they can figure out their own path,” she added. “If they just want to stick to Monona County, they can do Moorhead, Soldier, Mapleton, Ute. If they want to go up north, they can make their own path.”
“As people are doing their self-guided tour, they can see where they might want to stop, they might want to make sure Graceful Grind is at noontime, so they can have lunch and then see their artwork there, or stop at Buffalo Joe’s and have lunch and see Mark’s work,” Porter said. “We’re just trying to make it be that there will be options for shopping and food along with the artwork.”
To learn more about each artist, visit the Hills, Art & More website at www.hillsartandmore.com or their Facebook page, Hills Art and More. If you have questions, reach out to Annie Porter at 712-420-1343 or email info@hillsartandmore.com.
Self-guided art tours are growing in popularity. The Southwest Art Tour has been going on for more than 30 years; there is one in the Lakes region and some in central Iowa.
“It’s really kind of a thing that’s evolving in the whole state of Iowa,” Porter said.
The Hills, Art & More organizers are hoping to make this an annual event. Next year’s Hills, Art & More will be Oct. 9-10, 2027.
