Art in Non-Art Places, part 2

Disclaimer: I don’t know most of the details behind the art in this post. If anyone does know the name of the artist, title, really anything about these pieces, please let me know so I can give credit where it’s due!
​
I wrote a blog post last year about some of the art I’ve found in non-art places. You know, like doctors’ and dentists’ offices, banks, restaurants, etc. Basically anywhere that isn’t a gallery, studio, museum, or sculpture park, but that has art on display.

Classic Terry.

Another common type of artwork found in the midwestern United States are the many, many, many, many prints like this one. Everyone loves Terry Redlin ‘round these here parts, and while I might poke gentle fun, I will absolutely give Mr. Redlin respect because it’s not easy for a visual artist to become a household name. When I was in college learning to be a “real” artist, we art majors were encouraged by our professors to look down on wildlife/duck/stamp art. I remember defending Terry Redlin once in a class. The professor tore into me for it at the time, but my opinion is still the same: why hate another artist, just because they made enough money from their art to get rich? Isn’t that the dream? At the very least, it takes practice and skill to paint realistic scenes. This is a beautiful picture. So I say, “Good for you, Mr. Redlin!”

She's got no time for your shenanigans.

Ok, this one made me take not a second look, but a third and fourth closer look. It’s weird on a number of levels. First, it’s hung in a unisex bathroom. In 2024. It’s also framed with a chain, which is oddly hardcore for such a dainty print. Then there’s the text at the bottom that says “Purity”… Is that her name? The title? A message? Or moral, even? I don’t know. It’s kind of weird, and I dig it!

Fun fact, the cabinet below it perfectly matched the bedroom furniture set I had as a kid.

In the same bathroom as our lovely “Purity” was a decorative sink. I’d like to say here that I believe this sink is from an age when people made things beautiful just because they could. Is that a plain and boring piece of metal on the side of the door? Let’s add some scrollwork and paisley to it. It doesn’t affect the usefulness, but it’s there, so let’s make it look nice! My absolute favorite example of this is old safes/vaults. On the doors, artists would paint little landscapes with delicate gold linework. Did it make the safe any more secure? Heck no, but it sure made it nicer to look at. And here I am, over a hundred years later, appreciating all of it in a blog post on the internet. :D

I’ve gotten off track, I was just trying to talk about this weird sink! Look at it! It has wheat on it! Not just once, but over and over and over again! Does it make the sink work any differently? Nope. Is it nice to look at? Well… It probably was when it was designed. It’s a little bizarre nowadays, but here I am talking about it all the same.

Now that's some good Midwestern art.

This was another large original painting that I was delighted to find along my travels! I don’t know who painted it, or where this elevator is, but the signature said “brinkman”. Where, oh where, are my tiny label cards at?! Even though I don’t know the story behind it, I still love this piece. It depicts a beautiful summer day, a commonly seen scene in Iowa, but the artist deemed it important enough to document on a large (roughly 4’x2’) canvas. The colors are bright, the town is quaint, and I can practically smell the fields in the foreground.

*Sighs happily*

This series of photographs, which were beautifully printed on gleaming metal, were one of my favorites to come across. Who doesn’t love an old barn photo? They are the rural midwestern equivalent of abandoned building photography from the big city.
​
I didn’t get the name of the photographer, but I was informed that they were local (from Iowa) and well compensated for the pieces – which is always a detail I’m happy to hear, as artists are so often underfunded and underappreciated.

Oh Iowa. You're so silly!

And even though it’s not technically art, I did come across this very real and not-at-all-staged road sign. 😉 Oh, how I love small towns!