Art Moves Iowa
Be a part of my initiative to make art accessible to all! By making art mobile, we can pop-up in unexpected places to spark curiosity and creativity and start conversations in communities in Iowa. Experience how art can move Iowa to dream, create, connect and inspire.
I piloted this project in nature during summer 2021 with the hope of expanding this to parks, trails, community centers, libraries, parking lots and alleyways. In 2022, I manifested the vision and bought a trailer. Stay tuned for future events and take a look at the Becoming page and below at pop-up events that brought people together!
In April 2023, “The Reliquary,” a new pop up 10’ x 8’ x 10’ house created from vintage sheets, made an appearance at Poetry Palooza at Mainframe Studios in downtown Des Moines. Participants got to explore and enjoy Julia’s private writing retreat and were inspired by the creative exchange of precious containers and poems between Iowa native and now Canadian poet, Christine Stewart-Nunez, and Franklin.
Art In Nature with Julia & Joel - Des Moines Parks & Recreation Event at Greenwood Park in Des Moines, Iowa - June 2021 & 2022
This was a free event in collaboration with Joel Van Roekel, Environment Educator with the Des Moines Parts and Recreation Department. Our creative project was based in mindfulness and being aware of the world around us. We went on a slow walk around the pond and collected sticks, leaves, flowers, pods, and grasses. We came back together under the trees and turned our nature objects into paint brushes. We used paint and India ink to test out the types of marks these brushes made. To preserve our experience, everyone stored their selected brushes and paintings in a jar. Participant ages ranged from 3 to 68 years old.
