Posted on April, 29 2021

DART has installed two new bus shelters along University Avenue that feature artwork commissioned by Drake University. The artwork by artists and Iowa natives Mollie Wallace and Dana Harrison features campus and neighborhood inspired designs made possible by the University through the generosity of Wells Fargo.

The shelters, located on University Avenue between 25th Street to 31st Street, were made possible through a collaboration with Drake University, who engaged Liz Lidgett Gallery & Design.

The Drake shelters are part of a pilot project by DART that will eventually be expanded to include additional art shelters throughout the regional transit agency’s service area.

About the artists and artwork

Thanks for the Memories - Mollie Wallace

Wallace created a collage that represents the Drake neighborhood. Viewers will be able to spot iconic locations, and noteworthy details that create a snapshot of what you are able to see when riding a DART bus through the area. Mollie Wallace was born and raised in Des Moines and graduated from King-Perkins Elementary, Callanan Junior High, and Roosevelt High School. After earning her art degree from the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, N.Y., she spent 15 years in New Orleans where her art can be seen in signs, murals, and banners throughout the city. Wallace has served as the artist in residence at the Erin Rose, an iconic French Quarter bar that has been featured in Bon Appetit and many other publications, for the past decade. She has designed everything from Mardi Gras tuxedos to guitars to food trucks. She was the festival artist for the internationally renowned Internationale de Lousiane in Lafayette, La., in 2018. Her painting became the festival poster. Wallace and her family returned to Des Moines last year.

Liminal- Dana Harrison

Harrison’s piece is reminiscent of his street art style. Images like mature trees and the architecture that is special to the Drake neighborhood can be seen throughout the artwork. Viewers will be able to spot representations of many places and things special to all those residents who have called the neighborhood home. Dana Harrison (Limone) a Jefferson, Iowa, resident, started writing graffiti in 1996 in his hometown of Fort Dodge, Iowa, and studied under the late Sazko from Hamburg, Germany. With almost 25 years of mural experience, you can find some of his recent work at the Edna Griffin building, 10th Street bridge, Platinum Kutz, and much more.

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