March 28, 2024

Ashton Park Observatory is getting a makeover

Image 1 of 4

The Ashton Park Observatory is getting a makeover thanks to a Keep Iowa Beautiful grant and Jasper County Conservation.

JCC applied for the Keep Iowa Beautiful grant which paid for five gallons of Diamond Vogel paint with JCC paying for the remainder of the supplies that may be used in the process along with the painters’ time.

Ashton Park falls within the watchful eye of the JCC, which means beautification projects like this can take place.

“We have always been trying to add art to our parks,” Jasper County Conservation Director Keri Van Zante said.

JCC is working along side Lauren Roush and Pauli Zmolek, two Jasper County natives who have deep ties to artistry. Both Zmolek and Roush have impressive resumes as artists.

Roush teaches kindergarten through fourth grade art at Emerson Hough and Aurora Heights elementary schools in Newton. Roush also painted a mural at the Republican Stadium in Chisinau, Moldova. Zmolek was the first woman ever to serve as a decorative painter for the Architect of the United States Capitol.

“Both of them are extraordinary women,” Van Zante said.

JCC is also partnering with the Des Moines Astronomical Society at the observatory at Ashton Park.

“She (Roush), Pauli and I met with them to kind of look at the accuracy of what should be in the night sky of this mural,” Van Zante said.

The mural was put together by Roush and Zmolek and contains the night sky with bison and other native plants.

“Lauren and Pauli put together this super cool mural of the night sky,” Van Zante said.

Children from Newton schools have also been involved with helping paint some of the mural alongside Roush and Smolek.

“When I was younger I was involved in painting some of the murals around Newton and that really solidified my interest in art,” Roush said.

The children were involved in painting some of the colors that were more monochromatic to make it a more successful experience.

“Logistically we had to think of a way that I could break down colors so it would be sucessful for the kids to help paint, too,” Roush said.

Roush reached out to children who she felt would be the most passionate about creating this piece of art on the side of the Ashton Observatory.

“It’s just really fun because they are so interested in doing this. They really want to be here and it’s just a joy to watch them,” Zmolek said.

The Ashton Park painting is just one of a couple projects that are continuing to bring art to Newton and Jasper County. Another recipient of the Keep Iowa Beautiful grant was Prairie City.

“Newton does such a good job of enriching our community with the arts that I wanted to allow kids to contriubute to that too in Jasper County,” Roush said.

The hopes for the painting is that it will show people the beauty of nature and the beauty of Iowa.

“I think it will just exemplify Iowa’s natural beauty, and they will get to appreciate the beautiful skys,” Roush said.

Once it is finished Jasper County residents will be able to go out to the Ashton Observatory to see the collaborative work done by the children and the other artists.

“Hopefully this will snowball into more things that we can do like this, we don’t want this to be and end in itself we want this to just continue the sense of this collaborative art piece that kids can get engaged in,” Roush said.

Contact Dustin Teays at 641-792-3121 ext. 6533 or dteays@newtondailynews.com