Rose Bowl, The Museum
It’s been a real scorcher of a summer so far. Yet, artist Kinsey Fitzgerald has been spending these hot days in painters clothes, on a boom lift, giving the north side of our building a face lift. The mural, Prairie Rose, has actually been in the works for quite some time. Fitzgerald, who studied and worked in the U of I art department, first applied for the Urbana Arts Grant almost 2 years ago. She stated, “I really wanted to see more native wildflowers of the prairie all over downtown Urbana. Growing in alleys and around corners.”
Fitzgerald’s grant application was denied but she continued to pursue her vision. She went to Bossman Charlie, proposing the Rose Bowl as the site for a mural. He was onboard and so she applied for the grant a second time but was again denied. However, Rachel Storm, the Urbana Arts and Culture Commission Chairperson, loved Fitzgerald’s idea so much, she sought out private funding to make Fitzgerald’s dream a reality. Thanks to a donation from the former Commission Chairperson, Pat Sammann, the project is now underway. Done in a watercolor style, it’s absolutely gorgeous and we’re so proud to host it.
When asked about her driving force behind her work, specifically at the Rose Bowl, Fitzgerald answered cooly “I want to make big paintings and I need walls for that.” Despite her reserved response, I know she has a deep love for the Rose Bowl and supporting live music, sometimes even taking the stage at our Jazz Jams as a songstress.
Marten and Charlie are really out here, providing a space for the art community, beyond just music.
When we noticed Josh Schneman, who paints under the name acme.nadir, was sketching rad Rose Bowl fan art on cocktail napkins, we quickly put him to work. I commissioned paintings for the Bowl of Roses blog and social media accounts. Bossman Marten asked him to contribute to the trailer on the patio used to lock up all outside equipment when not in use. Josh has painted a majority of it with roses and musical instruments. Using spray paint and a retro, graffiti aesthetic. It gives off a raw, edgy feel and reflects our evolution beyond a country and western bar.
One side of the trailer was painted by our darling bartender and artist Mark Peaslee. (He’s the one who looks like a real-life Sweetums from the Muppets.) Mark paid homage to Picasso’s “Don Quixote” adapting Don as a cowboy with a guitar. He is currently adding a rose to the piece, which is extremely reminiscent of Dali’s “Meditative Rose” and I highly suspect will be the ‘moon’ of the portrait. Asking Peaslee about it though, I can never get a straight answer. Tongue in cheek, he asks why I have to be in his hair all the time and tells me to write whatever I want. But that’s “Grandpa” as he’s affectionately called. Upon first impression, he’s aloof, almost fillipiant. But really, he’s one of the most intelligent, creative and witty people I’ve ever met. His art reflects just that.
Honestly, just check out our show fliers . There’s a showdown of visual art on our walls just promoting our events. Posters featuring the art of Jon Griffin, a legend on the music festival circuit, are snatched up as soon as the show ends. (Y’all usually wait for the show to be over before snagging them and I have to say, I really appreciate that about you.) One patron even painted the rocks we use to hold menus down on the patio. (Okay, now those y’all were a bit more rude and they were lifted immediately. Tsk Tsk.)
Perhaps my favorite piece of art that once hung in the Rose Bowl, is one which is no longer there. On loan from the Falbo Estate for quite some time was a portrait displayed by the back door. At a first glance, I presumed it to be Jesus. Upon a closer look, I realized it was Willie Nelson. Some may argue, there’s not a lot of difference between the two.
To see some of the images discussed in this article, visit our Instagram account: bowl_of_roses
Enjoy the show!
