March 19, 2024

Central College undergraduates help Newton students decorate their city

Public relations assignment called for promoting art

Image 1 of 3

Growth and prosperity for the Centre for Arts and Artists depends greatly on partnerships. A recent visit from some Central College students showed the strength of those partnerships.

Central College has done service learning with CAA for about seven years, allowing students to come from Pella to help facilitate programs in Newton as part of their college coursework. A Central public relations course allowed students to promote and help coordinate an art event at CAA.

The first of several art sessions was held at CAA on May 5. Newton-area elementary-age students engraved their own designs on decorative clay tiles that will later be mounted as part of a wall mural at Forbes Office Solutions as part of a Newton Main Street initiative.

More sessions will be announced soon. The program is funded by a grant from the Grinnell Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution. Additional support was received from the Mary Homeier Memorial Fund and the center itself.

Katie Gatzke, a Central student, other Central students and CAA Executive Director Linda Kleppinger had much praise for each other in helping get the engraving sessions going.

“We were charged with setting up almost the entire event — with help from Linda, of course,” Gatzke said. “We made posters, brochures, a Facebook ad, a press release, and contacted businesses to make sure we had their permission to promote the clay tile event.”

More sessions will be announced throughout the summer, but Gatzke’s class only set up the first day as part of earning a project grade.

Hopefully by the end of the summer, there will be enough engraved clay tiles to build a wall next to Forbes, located on the northeast corner of the courthouse square.

Gatzke and her classmates have moved on from the project and the public relations class, into the rest of their Central College endeavors. However, the hope is that they can visit Newton in the future, see a mural created by young artists, and know they were part of a special, artistic creation.

“The mural will be added to the fifth-grade art tour that takes place every September,” Gatzke said. “It will be a brand new style of art to add to Newton’s collection of over 100 public art fixtures.”

Contact Jason W. Brooks at
641-792-3121 ext. 6532 or
jbrooks@newtondailynews.com