This summer, we’re exploring Council Bluffs through firsthand adventures — one local gem at a time. Follow along as Emily Newby, an intern with the Council Bluffs CVB, shares authentic experiences from trails to treats, and everything in between.
Crossroads of Creativity in Council Bluffs
Council Bluffs is home to 10 extravagant works of art that make up the Iowa West Public Art tour. Even though I’ve lived here my whole life, I’ve never actually known the history behind these pieces. One of the most helpful tools I used while doing this tour was the Otocast app. It allows you to pick one of the pieces and listen to a short audio clip by the artist, who describes the backstory behind it.
I started my tour in the center of town by driving over the Gateway Bridge, whose vibrant colors and lines invite you to the east side of the city (before I learned the real name, my family and I had always referred to it as the “ketchup and mustard” bridge). Nearby, at the heart of downtown in Bayliss Park, I saw the colorful Oculus fountain and the Wellspring gazebo. I then walked east across the street to see The Riverboat on the Missouri mural, which depicts important developments in Council Bluffs’ history. The last piece of art in this area is just a few blocks south—The Haymarket Rabbits sculptures jut out of the grassy median, making for a whimsical scene.
I took a short break at J’s Coffee on the Historic 100 Block of West Broadway and enjoyed a raspberry lemonade before driving down to see the Odyssey bridge sculptures, the Rhythm sculpture garden in front of the Mid-America Center, Molecule Man, Circus Interstate, Sunrise, and then to Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park to complete my trip by seeing the blazing “Spacetime Orange” Big Mo abstract sculpture and the playful human statue called Looking Up.
My favorite part of this experience was learning the history behind these local art pieces that I’ve driven by most of my life but never really thought about. The variety of art forms and their unique locations made it even more interesting. Art on bridges, along rivers, in parks, and even in parking lots added variety to the trip.
It was a fun outing for me because I was able to visit all of the locations easily and make the trip as long or as short as I liked. My favorite display was the Kaneko collection by the Mid-America Center because it had all kinds of sizes, shapes, patterns, and colors. I’ve also seen other Kaneko art at various locations around the metro and enjoy seeing how they reflect a familiar theme.
