‘Mending/Bridging’ exhibit explores communities’ connections to river, bluffs
Residents and visitors are invited to explore an interactive exhibit that evaluates Marquette and McGregor and their relationship to the landscape of the Driftless Area. “Mending/Bridging” is on display in Suite 105B of the Masonic Block building at 136 Main St., in McGregor. (Photos by Audrey Posten)
The “Mending/Bridging” exhibit features interactive maps, models and imagery. One large scale model depicts individual Marquette and McGregor buildings—all 3-D printed—nestled within and along the contours of the bluffs and bodies of water. Sites or projects currently in development, or in the process of changing, are flagged.
A PhotoVoice project asks residents and visitors to take a brief online survey and upload photos with titles that capture the qualities, experiences and locations they value in the Ports of Discovery communities. Some submitted images are already included in a gallery within the exhibit.
By Audrey Posten | Times-Register
Residents and visitors are invited to explore a new interactive exhibit that evaluates Marquette and McGregor and their relationship to the unique landscape of the Driftless Area.
Organized by the Iowa’s Living Roadways Community Visioning program, in partnership with the Iowa Department of Transportation, Iowa State University and The National Endowment for the Arts, “Mending/Bridging” aims to reconnect the two historic river towns to the Mississippi River and surrounding bluffs.
The exhibit is on display in Suite 105B of the Masonic Block building at 136 Main St., in McGregor. People can stop by from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., then from 4:30 to 7 p.m., on Wednesday through Friday this week and next week.
Julia Badenhope, a professor in the landscape architecture department at Iowa State University, is leading the team that will collect feedback from the communities, then work to design connections between important places in Marquette and McGregor, including trails, sidewalks and streets. The goal is to enhance the local experience of what is special about visiting and living in the area.
While the river and bluffs create opportunities and beautiful views, they also pose challenges, according to Badenhope.
“And large-scale freight operations and traffic to and from has separated these two towns from each other and from the natural environment. If we work through both artistic and expressive approaches to understanding place and what people really love, and then really understanding what’s possible and what’s not, maybe we’ll find a way to reconnect or mend the relationship between the bluffs and the river and also bridge things that are keeping things from happening,” she explained.
The “Mending/Bridging” exhibit features interactive maps, models and imagery. One large scale model depicts individual Marquette and McGregor buildings—all 3-D printed—nestled within and along the contours of the bluffs and bodies of water. Sites or projects currently in development, or in the process of changing, are flagged.
Badenhope believes this visual representation of the landscape can help people learn about and see the area in a different way.
“It really explains a lot when you see how things are nestled in the landform and attached to the water. Also, you can trace your finger along the rail line and see how that train is so overwhelmingly present. You can also see opportunities,” she said. “It makes you think about what we can reconnect, what we can bridge.”
Other maps show how topography and water flow have shaped the communities—how flooding has long been a part of life—and how federal, state and local regulations influence development.
One map seeks input from visitors on their lives on or near the river and how they most like to interact with the Mississippi.
“People have things about picnicking on the sandbar or socializing. We can make a map that shows there’s a tiki bar there, but now someone can recognize it’s a social interaction,” Badenhope said.
A PhotoVoice project aims to capture similar sentiments. Residents and visitors are encouraged to take a brief online survey and upload photos with titles that capture the qualities, experiences and locations they value in the Ports of Discovery communities. Submit images online at https://go.iastate.edu/L6WD61.
Some submitted images are already included in a gallery. Badenhope and her team hope to rotate photos as people share.
“The PhotoVoice is a way to understand what people care about. We’re asking people to take photos of either an experience you love or a thing you do,” she said. “We have a kayaker here, or this person is bird watching. It could be fishing, sitting on the dock and having your martini, the sunrise, close-up ripples in the water. It could be an important object or thing.”
“Then people can walk around and see [the photos],” Badenhope added.
Ultimately, she wants people to have fun with the exhibit.
“I want them to enjoy seeing the history, enjoy learning about what other people appreciate and reflect on how special this place is, because it is very special,” Badenhope shared. “I also want to support reflection about how this place is shaped and how it works. How infrastructures works. That is the key to getting more of the good stuff.”
“Mending/Bridging” will be open to the public the next two weeks, then take a week off. A new schedule will be developed when classes at Iowa State resume, said Badenhope. By the end of August, her team will focus their efforts based on feedback.
“Then we’ll start to have design meetings and start to integrate that with the information that’s here. People can look at ideas for connection and possible things to do, and start to provide feedback,” she stated.
