Jennifer Drinkwater serves as the community art extension specialist at Iowa State, as well as an assistant professor of art and visual culture. She is aiding communities in Iowa looking to advance the amount of art in their areas.

“Half of my time is spent serving the students of the university and the other half is serving the people of Iowa.” Drinkwater said.

Starting in July, Drinkwater began visiting communities that reached out to her. Her work in Perry, Iowa, best showcases what she hopes to accomplish.

Her projects so far:

1. She and the ISU Print Club worked on a steamroller print project, targeting a high school class and local art center for participants. Each participant was given a wooden block to carve their own idea of “Portraits of Perry.” 

“It was a great way of bringing the people together and creating art,” Drinkwater said.

2. Drinkwater and Ingrid Lilligren, professor of art and visual culture and chairwoman of the department, worked together to complete a mural installation project located on a bike trail.

The building the mural was painted on gives passersby a feel of Perry and houses a local bicycle co-op that gives bicycles to low-income families. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect; it was completed right before RAGBRAI, the six-day bicycle ride across Iowa.

“We had a plaque on the building that explained how it had come to be,” Lilligren said, “which raises the visiblity of what design can do in communities. It gives a tremendous boost to the university.”

3. Another mural is to be funded by an American Library Association and National Endowment for the Humanities grant for the PBS series, “Latino Americans: 500 Years in History.” The grant will fund six different cultural projects. Jon Wolseth, community field specialist, is also assisting with the project.

The project is currently in planning as Wolseth collects stories of immigration, but it will eventually depict oral histories of the Latino population in Perry. However, the location has yet to be named.

Drinkwater on Perry:

“I think the reason Perry has been really great to work with is they are so supportive of art and creativity,” Drinkwater said. “They have wonderful city administrators who see art as valuable and wonderful business owners who invest in art.”