The Public Art Walk through beautiful downtown Lewiston, Idaho, celebrates the history of the region in a variety of ways. Whether that’s with functional benches or an interactive fountain or a mural that literally shows the past and present of the city, visitors can get a real sense of the identity of the area thanks to the pieces showcased on the Art Walk. Doing so has created positive economic and cultural developments for the city and community as a whole.
Understanding the History of Lewiston
The Historic Walking Tour through downtown Lewiston brings visitors through numerous Public Art Zones and Public Parks. Lewis Clark Plaza, the Means Building, Morgan’s Alley and the Lewiston City Library are all highlighted on the Tour, but the pieces of public art that can be seen throughout and beyond the Tour commemorate this history in a different way.
“The Dance” is a life-sized bronze statue depicting three children in Brackenbury Square. The Square itself commemorates Mary Elaine Cole Brackenbury, daughter of the Hotel Idaho’s original owners, which used to reside in this spot. From 1915 through 1976, the building’s street-level housed a variety of businesses, and it served as an important hub of and for the community. A fire gutted the building in 1976, and the city eventually purchased the land, on the condition that the site would become a park.
Not far from Brackenbury Square is Pioneer Park, which was laid out in 1901 and originally served as the city cemetery. Gradually turning into a popular gathering place for the community, the park features attractions that range from the Bandshell to the University of Idaho Grove to Gunner’s Mound. However, the most famous feature, and the one highlighted on the Public Art Walk, is the Sacajawea Fountain.
The large ornamental fountain was first constructed in 1911 from a fundraising effort by the Tcseminicum Club, originally a group of 27 women. The four coyotes in the basin eventually had to be removed due to deterioration, and the water to the fountain had to be shut off in 1960 due to plumbing problems. In 1990, a replica of the original water fountain’s concrete statue was installed, complete with new bronze coyotes. The original Sacajawea sculpture now resides in the Luna House Museum.
Other pieces along the Public Art Walk celebrate the history of the area in especially unique ways, and that includes the Lewiston mural, which depicts eras of Lewiston’s Main Street, as well as “The Story Teller” which is a sculptural interpretation of the moment when two cultures met during the Lewis and Clark Expedition. Understanding and appreciating all of this history is just part of the experience of the Walk.
All-Encompassing Experiences Along the Public Art Walk
The Historic Walking Tour Map of downtown Lewiston provides visitors with a quick sense of the history of the city, but the unofficial Public Art Walk is an easy 1.5-mile walk that exposes them to that much more of the downtown area. Doing so allows them to see the pieces of public art that capture and celebrate all of this history as well as the identity of the entire community.
The Public Art Walk features various statues and functional art pieces, such as bicycle racks and benches, along with sculptural pieces like “Canoe Wave”. “The Dance” and Pioneer Park are also featured on the Walk, but visitors can experience these pieces in any order, and doing so can even be part of the longer Heritage Trail Ride, which is an 11 mile bicycle route that begins and ends at the Nez Perce County Historical Museum on Third Street in downtown Lewiston.
The experiences associated with each piece are distinct, as viewers can literally interact with the fountains, while the mural of Main Street allows viewers to not only see how the community has progressed over the years but to then easily shift over to a present day view of Main Street itself. Various benches and sculptures represent wholly different and distinct opportunities for interaction as well.
Numerous details about the public art are called out on displays throughout the Public Art Walk. Other pieces of history are also highlighted along the way, which gives viewers a more all-encompassing experience. Historic Idaho markers, as well as plaques recounting the city history of everything from fires and the first newspaper, allow people to appreciate their surroundings in a different way. Doing so has had a major impact on and for residents and visitors alike.
Impacting How the Lewiston Community Operates
The direct economic impact of the Public Art Walk is easy enough to see with the merchandise that celebrates the history and identity of the area. The indirect impact it has created is about something much deeper and affects residents and visitors in different ways.
Like other cities that have used maps and walking tours to engage with residents, Lewiston has been able to integrate events like their summer concert series into these endeavors. These sorts of events appeal to residents and visitors in different ways, and they can be focused around specific attractions like the ones featured on the Public Art Walk. There are much smaller and subtler ways that the Walk has impacted the very look and feel of the community though.
The unveiling of the first vinyl wrap printed with historic photos illustrates how the Public Art Walk has impacted the look and feel of the city itself. The community decided to celebrate Lewiston’s unique history and provide a wayfinding map to help pedestrians navigate downtown Lewiston. It’s difficult to imagine that notion occurring to anyone without the Public Art Walk, but that’s just a hint of the legacy it has enabled for the city and region.
A Legacy for Lewiston
Monuments like the Sacajawea Fountain and Main Street mural are impressive in their own right, but by being able to be experienced as part of something bigger, they’re part of a legacy for Lewiston that is about much more than these single pieces of art or history. It’s a legacy that has already impacted the community in a powerful manner, and that impact is set to become even more profound as time goes on.
