OMAHA, Neb. (KMTV) — Sarah Rowe was born in Omaha. As an artist, she's worked for more than two decades, but her current project is undeniably special.
"I love working big," she said with a smile. "This is the biggest I've ever worked, which is really exciting."
Her piece, called Starseeds, spans 15 silos. Some stand as tall as 125 feet, and they're still very much active at Ardent Mills. The colorful and symbolic display faces, and is visible from, Highway 75 near F Street in South Omaha.
"This is such a huge part of our landscape here, this monolithic structure, I could see it as part of the sky. So I like that it kind of fades out into the sky," Rowe, who is of Lakota and Ponca descent, explained.
"Mythically-scaled songbirds (are) kind of the center focus of the story, and then we've got the horses, a nice little creek across the bottom and kind of a gentle thunderstorm will start to unfold on the other side."
As many as eight artists from A Midsummer's Mural are working alongside Rowe.
Founder Richard Harrison says swing stages are crucial in the process.
"We have motors on each one and it takes two people to make it go up and down. And we can have up to three people on a stage. And we have two, 40-foot stages, so we're working on 80 feet at a time," he said.
"We have to have that 80 feet finished before we can have the stages moved. So that's why the stuff on the left is finished and the stuff on the right isn't even started."
The team began working on Starseeds in mid-July. They first prime the silos, then add a 'doodle grid,' which functions the way a square grid might. The random shapes allow them to chalk out and ultimately paint Rowe's design.
"It looks a little wacky in process, but it'll be really nice, clean, crisp lines by the time we're done," Rowe acknowledged.
And when it's done, and people drive by, they hope their work isn't just seen -- but felt.
"Our lives are full of working every day and solving everyday problems, but what do we live for? We live for moments of art and beauty and relationship," Harrison said -- adding Starseeds is about all of those things.
Rowe added, "It's like seeing the sunrise and seeing it set, so I hope it jolts people in a really playful way and sparks some curiosity."
"I wanted it to be a big celebration of our beautiful community."
They expect to finish by mid-October.
The following links will connect you with the mural partners, as well as some of the organizations of which Rowe is a part.
Sarah Rowe (@lady.wink) • Instagram photos and videos
amidsummersmural – Murals and specialty paintwork by Richard Harrison and Company
Art+ Infrastructure | Omaha by Design
Unceded Artist Collective
Amplify Arts
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