Creston • Afton • Lorimor • Cromwell • Arispe • Shannon City • Thayer
An Open-Air Gallery in Uptown Creston
More than 50 murals painted by local students, residents and artists from across the country and around the world. Free to see, any time of day.
50+
murals
30+
located in walkable Uptown
22
painted in 2020 alone
Lotus Garden • MayLing Chuong, 2020
THE STORY
How A Town Became A Canvas
Creston's first murals went up in the early 1980s. Mural Magic, as locals call it, really took off in 2011, when the high school art teacher began painting one mural a year with her students.
Then Creston Arts launched the Mentor Mural Program, pairing local youth with visiting muralists from across the country and around the world. Residents young and not so young picked up brushes too, and the walls of Uptown filled fast.
"It all started with painting two walls. I never knew we would end up painting twenty-two murals in 2020."
Bailey Fry-Schnormeier, Mentor Mural Program
1983
first murals
2011
Mural Magic begins
2020
Mentor Mural Program
SELF-GUIDED MURAL WALK
Four Streets, Dozens of Walls
Park once in Uptown and walk. Most murals sit along Adams, Maple, Elm and Montgomery Streets, and plenty hide in the alleys behind them, so look both ways.
ADAMS STREET
RAGBRAI Mural, Lotus Garden, Creston Sesquicentennial and the street quilt at Adams & Maple
ELM STREET
Endangered Species of Iowa, Honor the Earth and a packed alley at 110 N. Elm
MAPLE STREET
Through the Looking Glass, Xoras and Aero Octo
MONTGOMERY STREET
Rural Imaginarium, Ice Cream Parade and GROW
Beyond Uptown: four murals at Rainbow Park and a three-part series by GLEO at McKinley Park.
CRESTON ARTS
See Art Indoors, Or Make Your Own
The nonprofit behind the mural program runs a free gallery and a community arts center, both on Adams Street.
FREE ADMISSION
Creston Arts Gallery
New exhibits every month from local and visiting artists, inside the restored 1899 depot.
116 W. Adams St. | Creston, IA
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
CLASSES & WORKSHOPS
Creston Arts Center
Maker spaces, classes, workshops and Summer Art Camp. Email info@crestonarts.org for a private tour.
411 W. Adams St. | Creston, IA
Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.