Joseph Lappie, MFA, a St. Ambrose University professor and chair of the Art and Design Department, was awarded a $5,000 American Rescue Plan Arts and Humanities Grant from the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs to create a public art project titled "Only We," to memorialize the local lives that were lost to, and impacted by, the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The installation will provide a public space for reflection, healing, and growth supporting Scott County's community and those who have been impacted by the pandemic. The project's goal is to create an artwork that acknowledges our collective losses," Lappie said.
The large-scale installation will feature individually drawn and laser-cut acrylic characters representing each person who died due to COVID-19 or complications from the virus in the county.
"As the black-coated figures create an undulating path of loss, the negative space is painted a stark white, forcing us to acknowledge the number and movement of this halting occurrence in all our lives. The installation ends in red-colored cut letters forming text from a local poet focusing on the love we have held, the memories we hold, and the hope we continue to have. Unlike many memorials, this is ongoing and will be updated as Scott County numbers change over the coming months and years," he said.
As of Nov. 12, there were 282 confirmed COVID deaths in Scott County, "but a new body will be hand drawn, laser cut, and placed alongside the current artwork as that number increases, reminding us of the human toll COVID presents, and presenting grace through the shared history and unification loss and trauma often bring," Lappie said.
American Rescue Plan Grants
Lappie's grant was one of 236 awarded to individuals and organizations in 70 communities across 56 Iowa counties.
The Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs awarded $1.5 million in American Rescue Plan Grants on Nov. 10. The funds are meant to boost the state's arts, culture, history and creative sectors by supporting arts and cultural jobs and programming in the humanities.
Lappie's grant was one of 236 awarded to individuals and organizations in 70 communities across 56 Iowa counties. The one-time grant funding was made possible through the agency's state/federal partnerships with Arts Midwest, the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities with federal funds through the American Rescue Plan Act.
While there were eight grant recipients in Scott County, Lappie was the only individual artist in the county awarded funding. The other seven grant recipients were the Bix Beiderbecke Museum and World Archives, Quad City Symphony Orchestra, River Music Experience, Azubuike African American Council for the Arts, Quad Cities Chamber, Figge Art Museum, and the German American Heritage Center.
Lappie teaches courses in papermaking, bookbinding, printmaking, visual narratives and drawing at St. Ambrose. He also is a practicing artist and his work is featured in collection at the Yale Art Library, Ringling College of Art and Design, University of Wisconsin, University of Dallas, and Wesleyan University. Throughout the year, his work is exhibited in museums and libraries across the country.
Support for "Only We" is provided by the Iowa Arts Council, a division of the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs.
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