LeCLAIRE, Iowa — Aunt Hattie’s Fanciful Emporium is officially unveiling a new downtown mural with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 5:15 p.m., Wednesday, June 28, on the south side of the building at 110 S. Cody Road.
The ceremony also will include a performance by some dancers from Above The Barre Dance Studio. A celebration reception will immediately follow.
“We wanted to create something fun for people to take pictures with. We considered several ideas, but butterflies always make me smile and feel good,” Donna Walley, founder and owner of Aunt Hattie’s, said in a news release.
Ms. Walley had wanted to add a mural on the building’s south-facing wall for years, according to the release, and she made it a priority to make this dream come true this year.
For the project, Ms. Walley commissioned artist Heidi Sallows of the Quad Cities’ MuralSoup to paint the mural, which features large, colorful butterfly wings. Stone steps and flower beds also were added to create a nice spot for visitors to pose and become part of the butterfly, take their photo and make memories in LeClaire, the release states.
Ms. Walley hopes the butterfly inspires the City of LeClaire and other businesses to add more murals throughout the Cody Road Cultural and Entertainment District in the historic downtown area. The district, established in 2007, was re-designated by the State of Iowa in 2018.
Years ago, Ms. Walley and her husband Wayne visited Steubenville, Ohio, on the Ohio River. “The city has more than 20 murals, and they are all amazing,” she said in the release. “When we moved to LeClaire nearly 20 years ago, (also) a city on a river, we always thought murals could add to the appeal of LeClaire as a great place to live, visit, shop and stay.”
After the south-facing wall of Aunt Hattie’s was painted with a blue primer, Ms. Sallows took over, painting during mornings and evenings to finish the project in less than two weeks.
Ms. Sallows, who grew up across the river in Port Byron, Illinois, found her inspiration to paint after she helped create a backdrop for her high school play, “Mash,” according to the release. After graduating in 1995, she painted her first mural in 1996 and has been painting murals ever since.
“I’ve wanted to paint a mural in LeClaire for a very long time. And I’ve wanted to paint a giant butterfly as well, so this opportunity was a great combo,” Ms. Sallows said in the release.
Last year, Ms. Sallows teamed up with Sarah Robb, another local artist who has been painting murals in the QC for more than 20 years, to establish MuralSoup Co. LLC. Combined, the two have painted more than 100 murals for businesses and private clients, including Bent River Brewing Co. in Moline, Cabanas in Rock Island, the 11th Street Precinct in the Village of East Davenport, as well as at Rock Island’s Augustana College, Los Portales in Moline and many others. The two also work with the Quad City Arts Metro Art Youth Apprenticeship Program to create murals.
For more information about MuralSoup, visit MuralSoup.com. For more information about Aunt Hattie’s Fanciful Emporium and the ribbon cutting, call Wayne Walley at (563) 528-1025.
