The first thing that told me Fairfield wasn’t going to be ordinary was a parade of sculpted legs standing upside down in the town square. From there, the creativity just kept coming: murals in alleyways, galleries filled with bold art, and even a hands-on floral workshop.
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Fairfield’s Got Legs
I worked in partnership with the Fairfield Convention & Visitors Bureau for my visit, but I was on a solo road trip, so my experiences are entirely my own.
When I first saw the quirky public art project called A Leg Up, I knew Fairfield and I were going to get along. Sixteen sculpted legs, all upside down, each with its own theme. Some whimsical, some fancy, all unexpected. I loved them! What other small town greets you with a parade of legs in its central square?
The pieces are scattered along Main Street and tucked into garden nooks and will stay up through the summer before heading to a silent auction, where proceeds are split between the artist and the Fairfield Art Association.
Fairfield dreams up a new public art installation every year, and I got lucky being in town for one of the weirder ones. The tradition actually started years ago with mannequin torsos, so this year’s legs feel like a cheeky nod back to those body-part beginnings. I can’t wait to see what they try next.
While the legs were the kookiest thing I saw, Fairfield’s creativity isn’t confined to body parts. Murals and mosaics brighten alleys and walls all over town.
Murals, Mosaics, and More Surprises
One of the first things I spotted driving into town was a huge jigsaw puzzle mural. I wish I knew the story. Was it community symbolism or just someone who really likes puzzles?
Every morning I wandered downtown, calling it “getting my steps in” but really just using it as an excuse to poke around. There’s something about exploring on foot that makes a town reveal its quirks.
One of my favorite finds was a stretch of graffiti-style art that stretched from the walls right onto the pavement. So cool!
Gallery Hopping, Fairfield Style
Street art is always fun, but I wanted to check out some of Fairfield’s art galleries too. Gallery hours can be hit or miss when I travel, so I was glad to find ICON Gallery open. In the main space, Judy Bales’ fiber sculptures looked like something a fashion designer and a scrapyard dreamed up together, and I mean that in the best way.
In ICON’s other exhibition space, I found Tantra Art from Udaipur, a collection of Shiva Linga paintings created by tantrika families in Rajasthan, India. I can’t say I know much about Tantra, but the vivid designs and colors of the lingas definitely pulled me in.
I figured that might be the end of my gallery-hopping, but it turns out even the convention center doubles as an art stop. Outside is a life-size bronze statue of Lee Gobble,“Mr. Fairfield.” Behind him, a ceramic tile mural fans out like a turkey tail, a playful nod to both his last name and the wild ties he loved to wear. He was also known for handing out Hershey’s Kisses, so the sculptor slipped a few silver-wrapped chocolates into his hand.
Inside, the art keeps going, from a glowing stained-glass window from the old Parsons College chapel to a lobby floor designed with architectural water-jet technology and painted tables almost too pretty to sit at. The Fairfield Arts gift shop is part of it too, and you can even grab Ethiopian food from the café and enjoy it there, surrounded by local art. Not bad for a convention center.
Make Something Pretty at Petal
My final artsy stop was a hands-on experience at Petal, Fairfield’s flower and gift shop. The place is packed with fresh blooms, from familiar favorites to stems I’d never seen before. Owner Cari Anderson has an eye for quality, and it shows in the one-of-a-kind bouquets she puts together.
Cari was kind enough to let me try making one myself. In reality, she did most of the work because my floral skills peak at “stick it in a vase and hope for the best.” Thanks to her, I walked out with a bouquet that looked legit, and it even survived the road trip back to North Carolina.
More Creative Fun
- Fairfield First Fridays – Central Park comes alive once a month with live music, local art displays, and a lineup of food trucks.
- Fairfield Immersive Art Fun House – My visit didn’t line up with the open hours of local artist, Tom Lassota’s, personal immersive art experience, but if yours do, it’s a Meow Wolf-adjacent adventure.
Stay up to date on gallery events, art classes, festivals and more by checking the Visit Fairfield Iowa events calendar.
Final Thoughts
Fairfield had me at legs. From there it was murals in the alleys, salvaged sculptures in the galleries, and even stained glass at the convention center. If you like your small towns with a side of “wait, what did I just see?”, Fairfield delivers. Half the fun is letting the town surprise you.
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