A Ukrainian artist has left her creative handprint in the Newton community and most importantly she has developed friendships with many locals throughout her first international visit to America. Members of the local organization OPEN bid farewell to the artist Saturday as she unveiled her final art pieces.
Viktoriia Fil was invited to Newton by the Organization Promoting Everlasting Neighbors. For the past few weeks, Fil has taken in many American, Iowan and Newton experiences, which were all reflected in a mural she painted and then gifted to the Newton community.
OPEN board member Sveta Miller said the goal was to expose as many Newton residents as possible to Fil’s artwork and culture, and they did just that by instructing more than 600 Newton residents and students in how to paint.
Miller, a Ukrainian native, originally connected with Fil through her mother, who still has many contacts in Ukraine, and after exchanging information on Facebook, Miller knew right away that they’d found the perfect artist to bring to Newton.
Fil said coming up with an idea for the large mural took time and she took a few trips to Ames to explore the town and pick up bits and pieces from places in Iowa.
“I incorporated several styles, including my personal style, a Ukrainian style and then American features,” Fil said. “I wanted to incorporate stars, colors, animals and nature that I’ve seen over the trip.”
The centerpiece of the three-piece mural is the red cardinal and then other animals include rabbits and squirrels.
“Squirrels live close to people here but rabbits and squirrels don’t come that close back home,” Fil said. “I also found a lot of butterflies at the arboretum and wanted to incorporate those.”
Aside from experiencing Iowa’s nature and agriculture, Fil said she enjoyed the people the most.
“The cardinal bird has a friendly smile in the mural because that is portraying the people here in Newton and their friendliness,” Fil said. “The vibrant colors and flowers also represent the people in Newton and their kindness and attitudes.”
The decision of where the mural will be displayed in the community is still undecided but the members of OPEN have discussed hanging it inside the new Berg Middle School.
Members of OPEN reminisced about their time with Fil and even united in a song entitled, “Friendship” led by board member John McNeer.
Chairperson of OPEN Jane Cotton thanked Fil for all her hard work and for her friendship.
“A major art project turned into something much bigger and we have you to thank for that,” Cotton said.
Fil’s last day in Newton was Saturday and she was homebound to Ukraine on Sunday, but not without recalling her favorite memories.
“The whole trip was very interesting and I was able to go to Des Moines and Chicago for a few days and then today we just came back from Living History Farms,” Fil said. “The schedule was pretty built up a lot of the time but we did make time to see Iowa and its culture and I’m grateful for that —you have a really beautiful town.”
Contact Kayla Singletary at
641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or
ksingletary@newtondailynews.com