HomeMy WebLinkAboutIowa City Public Art Grant PS1_Historic Poor Farm Letter of Support_SignedAddress:
Phone:
Email:
Website:
855 S. Dubuque Street, Iowa City, IA 52240
319-688-5840
idewald@johnsoncountyiowa.gov
www.jchistoricpoorfarm.com
3/13/25
To the Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee,
We are writing in support of the Johnson County Historic Poor Farm’s collaboration with Public
Space One and Iowa City artist Nicholas Cladis on the Iowa Art Field project.
In 2017, the Johnson County Board of Supervisors adopted a 10-Year Plan for the 160-acre
Johnson County Historic Poor Farm (HPF). As staff at the County, we support the mission of the
HPF to provide a public space for connecting to the land and local history through inclusive,
community-led opportunities.
We plan to work with PS1 to make multiple buildings and historic spaces at the farm accessible
to artists and their site-responsive projects for the duration of Iowa Art Field (2 weeks in Fall
2025). This project aligns with the HPF mission to partner with community-led endeavors open
to the public and fits our site priorities of community engagement and historical education. This
project also supports our vision to host more art at the farm, both permanent and ephemeral, to
illustrate the difficult and complex history of the site and through community gathering and
learning, evoke joy and community connection.
We fully support the Iowa Art Field project’s application to the Public Art Advisory Committee
Matching Grant.
Sincerely,
Ilsa DeWald
Local Food and Farm Manager
Julie Watkins
Event and Program Assistant