Young Corn was painted as a memorial to a teacher from Wilson School in Cedar Rapids and is an example of Wood's vision of rural Iowa.
Wood explored various textures, giving the viewer a sense of the richness and productivity of the land, of peace, prosperity and order.
The brand new Cedar Rapids Library was open just five days when I saw it.
Inside the Cedar Rapids Library where every book is new is this teen center.
The entrance hall is big enough to be a ballroom.
Across the park from the new library was the Art Museum undergoing renovation. Still I was able to see a number of Grant Wood paintings.
Costco! In Cedar Rapids we park inside out of the weather.
Back to school season in Iowa.
The Amana Colonies were settled by German religious believers seeking a place where they could worship in peace like so many other groups who came to America. These Inspirationalists lived communally under the rule of Church Fathers.
For eighty years they maintained an almost completely self-sufficient local economy. In 1932 they adapted to the threat of mutiny within the ranks and separated the church from the economic functions of the community. Today the Amana Colonies are a thriving tourist destination.
This photo was taken c. 1900.
Iowa Writers Workshop which began in 1936 is operated in Iowa City by the University. The Program in Creative Writing at the University of Iowa is a highly regarded graduate-level writing program.
Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni (most recently Paul Harding in 2010) have won seventeen Pulitzer Prizes, as well as numerous National Book Awards and other literary honors. Four recent U.S. Poets Laureate have been either graduates or faculty of the workshop. Some of those associated with the program are Robert Penn Warren, Wallace Stegner, Philip Roth, John Cheever, Jane Smiley, Michael Cunningham, and Rita Dova.
There is a wonderful private bookstore in Iowa City, Prairie Lights; I wish there were bookstores like it in every town.
Westward bound, I stopped briefly in Grinnell to see the famous liberal arts college. These two photos were taken downtown.
This is a new building on campus.
The residential area next to the College reflects the relaxed, uncrowded ambiance of the area.
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