A rainbow of art on a cloudy day

Public art always feels like a rainbow to me — unexpected, bright, colorful and free for the viewing.

We stumbled into a whole gallery of free rainbows last week as we stretched our legs ahead of the holidays. On a particularly grey day, the artwork, created by Appleton grade, middle and high school students, popped out, caught our attention and drew us over to a construction site along the river.

With a “Better Together” theme and assorted admonishments to protect the environment, the pieces worked as both cover for the Willow construction project going up behind them and a nice display of talent.

It has been interesting to track the areas riverfront development and we’ll be curious to see how this new six-story building fits into the landscape.

In the meantime, we really enjoyed the creative pieces currently on display.

If you haven’t checked out the walking trails along the Fox River (and you’re not afraid of a little cold), it’s actually a nice time of year to head down there. With no leaves on the trees the eagles nests are easy to spot and they’re pretty active along the route.

If you’re less inclined to battle the elements, you can park at River Heath and take a short stroll over to look at the artwork. (It’s on the site between the Tempest and Courtyard by Marriott).

Many thanks to the talented artists featured in this al fresco gallery. You really brightened our day.

I love this piece, which can be both a beautiful comfort and a gentle warning. Somebody cares about this river, and we’re cautiously optimistic about it’s development.
What’s your next adventure? (I love the little green astronaut. “I’m real.” I had to chuckle at that one.
Word.
This was Molly’s favorite, because it features all the local river inhabitants.
Elementary students from Columbus participated in this project.
“I am different, not less.” I love it. Our differences make us more — beautiful, interesting, unique, valuable, etc.

One thought on “A rainbow of art on a cloudy day

  1. Wow! Those are some great pieces of art and messages! It makes me happy that they were created by our youth. I have a lot of hope and faith in this next generation. I agree with Molly; I like the river dweller one, too!

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