Urbandale Zoning: This Time for Art

The Urbandale Public Art Committee has proposed several zones around the city for public art.

The proposed zones include:

• City parks and recreational trails: this summer two sculptures were placed: one in Lions Park and one in Lakeview Park. 
• The city services complex on the southwest corner of Douglas Avenue and 86th Street: sculptures have been set on the east side of the parking lot and in the Charles Gabus Memorial Tree Garden.
• Along Douglas Avenue.
• At the major traffic gateways into Urbandale: 86th Street, 70th Street, Meredith Drive, Hickman Road, 128th, 142th and 156th streets.
• At major commercial centers such as 142nd Street and Douglas Avenue and the Aurora Business Park.
• At Urbandale bus stops.

Urbandale residents seem to like the public art so far.

Garret Adamson, a 17-year-old student at School, said the sculptures are "a good way to fill up the empty space. It's added some variety."

Sherice McCamey, who lives in the off Canterbury Road said: "What I've seen so far is very nice. It's family-oriented. It's not anything that you want your children to cover their eyes about."

So far, the citizen committee has placed four bronze sculptures from the Randolph Rose Collection, Inc. that feature children. The city sets aside money for art aquisition every year. So far, it has allocated more than $90,000.

However, the committee also envisions inventive and functional art such as signage, landscaping and lighting.

“Art takes on many forms,” said Janet Emmerson, a Public Arts Committee member.

The committee has worked with Shive Hattery Architecture and Engineering on the Douglas Avenue beautification project.

“What we have discovered is that there are many different initiatives going on, and it’s important that we collaborate,” Emmerson said.

“We hope this will make us stand out on the map,” said Jan Herke, director of Parks and Recreation for the city. “The four sculptures have been very well received and we’ve had a lot of positive comments about that.”

Kris Winter, a member of the Urbandale Community Action Network, which collaborated with the committee on the bronze sculptures placed in the parks, praised the effort.

“Those sculptures are so amazing,” Winter said. “Having that art has added to our community as a whole, and they capture what Urbandale is all about with families and children.” 

For more information on the Urbandale Public Art Committee and to become involved, contact Jan Herke at the Parks and Recreation Department at 278-3963.