Le Mars Alley Art

Kelly Brown-RamirezUncategorized

We’re almost done with our visit in Le Mars, but before we leave, lets check out the downtown alley art. Located behind Hotopp, these one-story high murals depict everything from garden settings and alley cats,

We’re almost done with our visit in Le Mars, but before we leave, lets check out the downtown alley art. Located behind Hotopp, these one-story high murals depict everything from garden settings and alley cats, to Beauty and the Beast.

Allowing artists to express their creativity, Le Mars has commissioned 25 area artists (and that number is still growing) to illustrate, paint, sketch and draw on the brick walls they call their blank canvases. Funded by the city of Le Mars, the local Art Center, and the Le Mars area Chamber of Commerce’s Main Street program, this project will take approximately five years.

Prepped and Primed

Bringing a crew in to prime the exterior surfaces, readying them for colorful and vibrant colors, Le Mars has taken cue from several other towns, and brought beauty to participating businesses. Some depictions even draw inspiration from adjoining store fronts. For example, behind Binneboese Shoes, the Wicked Witch of the West is wearing Dorothy’s red slippers.

Expected to expand and grow to encompass as many downtown businesses as possible, visitors and locals should expect to see the bare brick walls come to life. In addition, once the weather gets nicer, there are plans to have live concerts in the once neglected passageways.

A dark alley no more

No longer just a corridor for delivery drivers, trash pickup and maintenance repairs, you are invited to stroll through a colorful wonderland of gardens, dragons and underwater adventures. With fresh paint going up monthly, make sure to check back regularly. Afterall, there are in the vicinity of 40 businesses allowing their walls to undergo an imaginative and exciting facelift.

More artists are joining the Main Street Design Team, hoisting themselves up on scaffolds and forklifts, spending weeks and months materializing a vivid illustration from their imagination. I’m excited for the nice weather to finally arrive so I can enjoy the sun while admiring some free art.

Plan your visit

Finally, you can check out the murals year-round. Just find parking downtown (you don’t have to pay the meter), and start you jaunt. I parked right outside of Hotopp, but you can pretty much find a spot along the Central Ave or Plymouth Ave, and meander your way to the back alleys. Plus, with graduations coming up soon, this would be a great place for Senior pictures!

Check out these websites for more information on the Chamber of Commerce’s Main Street Program, view pictures of the murals, and even keep up on future events.