The annual ArtWalk last night was a kick-off for bringing together both music and visual art made by local artists. The night also served as a 40th anniversary celebration for Youth Shelter Service, or YSS. For Ames artists, it was a time to showcase their pieces and for their hard work to pay off. For the community, it was a time to appreciate local art and what artists bring to the table in Ames.

“I’m really big in arts.” said Dr. Sonya Stoltze Newstrom, dentist of Stoltze and Stoltze Family Dentistry, a sponsor of the event. “The ArtWalk is really fun, it’s a great way to start summer out, with great weather. We have over 80 artists and I believe that there are over 62 downtown businesses.” 

Newstrom also noted that the ArtWalk was a way to let people see the different sides to local businesses and those who run them.

“People are nervous when they visit the dentists. I think it’s nice for people to see a softer side or a more family-oriented and out of the office fun side. It’s important for businesses and community to support local events, to help the local community a better place to live and work.” 

Patricia Izbicki, a Ph.D student at Iowa State University and classical pianist, played Isaac Albania’s Leyenda during the unveiling of the new public piano in Tom Evans Park.

“The main thing is being able to promote the joy of music making and bring that awareness of advocating for the art but also the sciences.” Said Izbicki.

Stories of Artists

Becca the Balloon Lady, devoting herself for 28 years

“I want a bear.”

“What color? Oh! Do you know you are picking the same color as your dress?”

Have you ever had a balloon made by Becca the Balloon Lady? Sitting below the tree in Tom Evans Park, the balloon lady was busy making animals, swords and bracelets out of balloons in her hand.

What’s her secret? It lies in her 28 year long passion for making balloon art.  “I grew up on a farm. We didn’t have much money and weren’t able to afford it,” said Becca Wemhoff, the ‘Balloon Lady.’

“My philosophy to do the crowd work is that I don’t sell the balloons. I do tips. If you want to put in a tip, I suggest one dollar per balloon, that’s for donation. But if you don’t, there is no problem with that. Dr. Sonya already paid our hourly fee and bought balloon materials. Anyone who want a balloon should get one,” said Wemhoff.

Street organ grinder strives to make people happy 

Many people don’t know what a street organ is. If you walk along the Main Street during the ArtWalk, you will notice an old gentleman wearing a white hat playing music with a rectangular box. “Its total purpose is to entertain people on the street, play happy music,” said David Wilder, the man behind the street organ. Wilder also used to work in the College of Engineering at Iowa State University.

“When people see this, they first of all say ‘What is it?’ Secondly, they say ‘Why are you doing this?’ Why I am doing this is to make people smile. I enjoyed it, that is why,” said Wilder.

Carving that tells life stories

Arthur Mann carves wood from stories he heard and ideas from real life. 

One pieces focused on human survival. “We didn’t survive because of the strength of the early ancestors, we survive because of their thinking ability,” said Mann.

The other piece is a carving of a cowboy and cow, symbolizing a memory from his own life. “The summer after my wife and I were married, her parents wanted to go to California for two weeks, and wanted me, a city boy, to keep their cow,” Mann said. He also hopes that people can find a little humor in his artwork.

“I’ve done some commissions that I don’t sell anything,” noted Mann. “These are just too personal. There are many stories behind most of them. I just enjoy carving.”

A new form of art

Austin Stewart, assistant professor in the department of art and visual culture, created a program about digital synthesizers, aiming to arouse high school students’ interest about software.

With this devise, students can perform music by writing code for it. “This code language is called SuperCollider, it’s something free people can download, it’s meant for audio. This is a serious programing language. If they get interested in it, they can do much more with the software and stuff like them,” said Stewart.

Stewart said this device is easy to carry and can be operated by battery, so people can wear it and perform on the street. He also said that he would like people to become more aware of people coding and building circuits to make art, as well as expanding people’s view of what makes something art.

Citizens of the festivity

Eloise Reinhart, a 4 year-old girl, visited a gallery with her parents excitedly, saying that her dream was to become an artist.

Daniel Cheng and Austin Liu, two third grade students at Meeker Elementary School, were chasing each other happily in the park. Cheng came to Ames half a year ago from China, and this year’s ArtWalk was his first. “My favorite is the balloons, because it’s so funny,” said Cheng. His best friend,  Austin Liu, said his favorite thing at the ArtWalk is the ice cream.

Hina Illahe, a graduate student from Pakistan studying in the College of Design, came to Ames three years ago. She came to the ArtWalk with her husband and their daughter. “It’s a great time for family and a great time to see friends here,” said Illahe.