Three years in the making, the 2nd Street railroad underpass mural finally started going up in June. In designing murals for each railroad pillar, artist Jenny Sammons used iconic architectural imagery and whimsical landscape details as an homage to Fairfield and the surrounding countryside.
This creative civic project has taken time, networking, and dedication to bring to fruition. Slated to be finished in mid-July, the mural is centered around the theme of “Bloom and Grow,” creating a charming gateway to downtown Fairfield. Partner Construction handled the prep work, while crews of volunteers are helping Sammons make the mural a reality, and flaggers from the DOT are keeping everyone safe.
The mural project began three years ago as a proposal put together by local artist Chad Starling, working with Shanaz Kreider, chair of the Fairfield Volunteer Center, which provides support for various nonprofits and charitable organizations in the Fairfield area. But proceeding with the project was unexpectedly difficult. Because the underpass is owned by the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway, and that part of 2nd Street is also a state highway, the mural proposal had to be approved not only by Mayor Connie Boyer and the City Council, but also by BNSF and the Iowa Highway Department. Kreider says it took three years to negotiate a contract and close the deal with BNSF, and she only recently found out that the Iowa Highway Department required them to hire flaggers while the work was underway. “That is something we had not budgeted for, and it’s turning out to be a very expensive part of the project,” Kreider says.
To add another wrinkle, by the time the mural project was finally approved, Starling was busy with other projects and no longer available. Sammons happily stepped in. “It was a peaceful transition,” Kreider says. “There has been a lot of cooperation. Everybody’s happy.”
The design process took a few months of collaboration. When they initially started working in June, Kreider says there were some delays due to the weather, specifically thunderstorms and torrential rainfalls. This caused water to pour down the sides of the space, obliterating any painting progress, so a gutter system had to be installed above the mural.
Sammons explains that the mural “incorporates a lot of the historical buildings and landmarks around town.” Driving south into town, people will see a cityscape with a night sky. Driving north out of town, people will see a rural landscape with a daytime sky. The rural side features the Maasdam Barn, Bonnefield Cabin, grain elevator, and an antique train. The cityscape side features the Jefferson County Courthouse, the gazebo, Carnegie Museum, McElhinny House, and the B Street water tower. “Being able to work on such a cool project for the city is really exciting for me,” she says.
Sammons moved to Iowa from Washington, DC, about 12 years ago to study art at MIU. She started showing her work in galleries in 2021, and has had quite a few solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums since then. Active in the arts and craft fair circuit, Sammons has a collection of prints and greeting cards featuring over 180 different images. She is also an accomplished singer currently focused on jazz standards, and she hopes to integrate music into her art process at some point.
Sammons describes her aesthetic as “a simplified, whimsical storybook style.” She likes to use dots to create texture and detail, but experiments with different styles. “If you look at my full body of work,” she says, “you’ll see my evolution.” She likes to “incorporate joyful things,” adding, “It brings me a lot of joy to make the art, and I hope that it brings other people joy, too. That’s the main point.”
Sammons’s public art experience includes painting windows for the Fairfield Beautification Commission, the parking sign for India Cafe, and a mural for Studio Oski in Oskaloosa. “The underpass mural is definitely the largest project I’ve ever undertaken,” she says, mentioning the challenges of dealing with unknown factors like weather and water leaks. She is grateful for the help she has received from the community, including advice and support from Fairfield-based artist John Schirmer.
Kreider feels the mural adds character to the neighborhood. “It will create excitement, and hopefully the local businesses will benefit from it.”
The mural project has received a lot of community support, with Everybody’s Whole Foods donating space in their storage warehouse, and many community members donating time and resources towards the project. The Fairfield Food Collective and Williams Automotive gave the crews access to water for pressure washing and cleanup. Richard and Kendra Lint, who operate their business out of the old KRUU building, offered the use of their parking lot.
“Everyone has been very receptive and cooperative,” Kreider says.
Sammons says they welcome volunteers, and not everyone needs painting skills. “We have a lot of tasks for people. We love people with artistic experience, because they can help with the detail work, but we need all kinds of different people to do different kinds of things.” She says volunteers provide invaluable help by running errands, cleaning paint brushes, and helping set up and clean up at the end of the day.
If you’d like to help out, visit volunteer.
If you’d like to donate to support the project, visit FairfieldCultural Alliance.
For more information about the artist, visit JennySammonsArt.com.