Farm scene mural damaged in Newton

The Newton farm scene mural in Sersland Park in the downtown district was damaged sometime between July 26 and the morning of July 27, but neither the building owner nor the police know exactly how the damage was caused or who did it. Newton Police Chief Rob Burdess said the cause is being investigated.

Joe Carmichael, the owner of the building at 114 First Ave. E., inspected the damage to the east wall on July 27. Several depressions can be seen along the surface of the public art piece, including a massive gash to the southernmost section where a red barn is painted with the slogan “Welcome to Newton.”

Burdess told Newton News that police were called to the building at around 8:57 a.m. on July 27 regarding the damage.

It is unknown whether surveillance cameras from streetlights or nearby local businesses were able to record what happened. There were no tire tracks or vehicle damage to the grass at the scene. However, a rock was imbedded above the large gash, suggesting objects may have been thrown at the mural.

Newton Main Street Director Erin Yeager was unhappy to see the damages but suggested Sersland Park has had issues with illegal activity in the past. The city removed bushes from the gazebo to increase visibility of the structure and to dissuade criminal or disagreeable activity.

“People come in here because it’s an isolated place,” Yeager said of the park. “The city did remove some of the trees and bushes, but I still think it’s a place where people come and they get away with stuff. Now we’ve got a mural that’s been vandalized.”

From what Yeager knows at this time, no other downtown murals have been vandalized. However, some of the utility boxes had been marked graffiti but were able to be cleaned off. Yeager said it is sad to see public property vandalized when her organization is trying hard to beautify Newton.

“We need to be vigilant to what goes on and watch things,” she said.

In 2017, Newton Hometown Pride invited University of Iowa students to analyze the city’s downtown murals. They concluded that a number of murals, including the farm scene mural at Sersland Park, needed cleaned or touched up. Shortly thereafter the murals were restored.

Painted in 2004 by artist Carl Homstad, the 30-feet-by-135-feet mural showcases a Midwest farm scene with livestock, the Valle Drive-In move theater and a plane flying over a cloud-filled sky. The mural is visible to drivers traveling westbound on First Avenue. Homstad has painted a number of other murals downtown.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com