Farm Aid - Corydon

The Farm Aid mural pays tribute to the impact of the farm crisis on our local communities and farms around America.

Location: north side of Redeemed Second Chance Boutique, 102 S Franklin St, Corydon, IA 50060

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Farm Aid

Nationally, the Farm Aid organization and concerts started in 1985. Artists like Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan saw how farmers were being impacted by economic challenges across the Midwest. The first Farm Aid concert, which inspired some of the imagery in this mural, raised over $7,000,000.

The Farm Aid concerts were used to raise awareness and funds for family farmers. Farm Aid continues to support farms through advocacy and mental health support for farmers and their families.

In Wayne County, efforts to help local farmers have included multiple instances of organization and support within the community. Small farms are still critical to Wayne County’s economy, and this mural honors the impact, challenges, and legacy of agriculture in rural Iowa.

The mural itself is inspired by local and national coverage from newspapers in the 1980s, including several images that were included in an Iowa PBS documentary in 2013.

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about the art

This mural was painted during the Walldog Mural Festival in Wayne County, Iowa, from August 30 - September 3, 2023.

The lead designer was Elaine Wallis from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada. Elaine has owned a sign business since 1983 and has painted at many previous Walldog events.

Elaine created an incredible composite mural. From a distance, the mural shows Willie Nelson singing at the first Farm Aid concert in 1985. Up close, individual panels reveal images from Wayne County, Iowa, and the Midwest.

Many of these images were inspired by an Iowa PBS documentary on the Farm Crisis. This important film includes interviews with several local residents of Wayne County, and we are grateful for Iowa PBS’s contribution to this mural.

Key panels include:

  • The crosses in the upper right corner of the mural reflect the “crosses on the courthouse yard.” These crosses first started in Wayne County when local farmers planted crosses at the courthouse in protest for every family farm that was lost in the early 1980s. Planting crosses spread from Wayne County to the rest of the Midwest. These crosses were referenced in John Mellencamp’s song “Rain on the Scarecrow,” which was inspired by the Farm Crisis and released in 1985.

  • Many of the slogans, such as “Tough times never last, tough people do,” came from photos and reference materials from the 1980s.

  • The auctioneer in the center of the mural pays tribute to the farms that were sold in the 1980s, and to the face of a beloved Walldog (Michael Clark) who passed just before the 2023 Walldog festival.

  • The woman wearing a Farm Aid t-shirt in the lower left corner references one of the artists, who attended an early Farm Aid concert.

  • The Bennett mailbox in Willie Nelson’s hat is a reference to Nancy Bennett, who started the Walldogs movement in Allerton in 1993.

  • The corn, pigs, cows, chickens, hay bales, and other farming implements are all relevant to the dominant agriculture products that still come from Wayne County.

The detailed prototype of this mural, painted on a smaller scale and used as a reference for the artists as they painted the mural, was purchased during the Walldogs Festival and donated to the Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County. You can see the mural prototype in the atrium of the museum.

FAQs

  • The Walldogs are an international group of muralists and sign-painters who volunteer their time to create community art. They have painted throughout the US and around the world.

    The Walldog movement started in Allerton, Iowa, in 1993. Local artist Nancy Bennett invited dozens of signpainters to Allerton to paint murals in Allerton’s downtown, and the local community opened their homes to host these artists. Since that first gathering, the Walldog movement has grown tremendously.

    The Walldogs celebrated their 30th anniversary in 2023 by returning to Wayne County, Iowa. They have meets planned for the next several years to continue this community art tradition. You can learn more at thewalldogs.org.

  • In 2023, the Walldogs painted 16 murals. They also painted new signage at the Wayne County Fairgrounds.

    These murals included 12 new designs, as well as 4 restorations of the original 1993 Walldog murals in Allerton.

  • We recommend starting at Prairie Trails Museum in Corydon, Iowa. The “Come, Come Ye Saints” mural recognizes the passage of the Mormon Trail through Wayne County.

    From there, you can drive in an approximate circle to Promise City, Seymour, Allerton, Clio, Lineville, Humeston, and Millerton, before returning to Corydon to see the rest of the murals there.

    Alternatively, you can start at any mural that works for your route.

    The entire route takes approximately 2 hours to drive.

  • Check our main FAQ page for more details and contact info.

Next stop

Go to the beginning of the trail: the “Come, Come Ye Saints” mural at Prairie Trails Museum of Wayne County in Corydon.

You can find the Come, Come Ye Saints mural at Prairie Trails Museum: 515 E Jefferson St, Corydon, IA 50060.

When the museum is open (schedule), you can see a wealth of artifacts and information about many topics covered by murals along the trail.

For the full list of murals and locations, visit this page or download the map.