PUBLIC ART
La Porte City Public Library is home to a number of original artworks and reproductions from several notable residents of La Porte City and Black Hawk County. From a full-scale mural to commemorative plates, visit the library’s exhibits throughout the building. Click here for a more complete article about the library's public art.
METAL SCULPTURE
In July 1983, La Porte City was named a stop along the route of RAGBRAI XI. Already by that time, Iowans were avid cyclists and bike culture was ingrained into everyday life throughout Iowa, but the next visit to La Porte City was 32 years later in July 2015. In a flurry of preparation, local and long-time resident, Zach Loeb (left), constructed several sculptures of welded bike parts. These sculptures welcomed riders as they stopped for the day during their week-long ride.
One sculpture proudly welcomed cyclists to the recently built Hawkins Memorial Library. Having weathered for a decade, the sign was rewelded and painted by Greg Arhart (right). The newly renovated sign was paired with the Library's renovation and, once again, proudly welcomes everyone into the building.
MY CEDAR VALLEY PROJECT
Started by library assistants at Waterloo Public Library, the My Cedar Valley Photo Display seeks to answer the question, What makes a place?
Is it the landscape of rolling hills, wide fields, winding rivers, and endless prairie? Is it the roads we travel, the buildings we construct, and the homes we live in? Or is it the people who live, work, and play in the Cedar Valley who bring it to life? A true sense of place is shaped by all of these and more.
Community members from across the Cedar Valley shared the photos in these displays, offering glimpses into the many ways we experience this place. Whether your view is of a neighborhood, a forest, or an open field, we hope you find something here that feels like home.
This traveling display of ten PVC boards started in Waterloo Public Library and traveled to each of the eight public libraries in the Cedar Valley. Today, each library has at least one panel of the display encouraging you to visit the other libraries to see the complete exhibit.
LOCAL SETTINGS PAINTINGS
We are proud to host several original artworks by local artists that display the spirit of the community. Pieces by Frederick (Fred) Bombach and Mayme C. Gill depicting La Porte City locations are at the end of each book stack, plus a series of local scenes hangs on the wall in the Roy Hawkins Community Room. Both artists lived in La Porte City for extended periods of their lives. Located in the library's nonfiction stack, the Dr. Jesse Wasson portrait, completed in 1971 by Bombach, was donated to us by Mayme C. Gill in 1980.
Frederick (Fred) Bombach was born September 11, 1888, in Stolp, Germany, and immigrated to the United States in 1910. He married Elizabeth Christen on October 15, 1921, in Marengo. After retirement in 1958, Bombach moved to La Porte City in 1959 and turned his hobby as an artist into a second career.
He offered classes out of his home located at 204 Maple Street and donated many items to the city, including a full exhibit in the FFA Historical & Ag Museum. In 1981, Bombach moved to Cedar Falls, where he resided until his passing. The library holds six of his original works, which were donated by Bombach and Mayme Gill. Bombach's artwork that can be found at the LPC Library are:
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Barn, east edge La Porte
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Dr. Jesse Wasson
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Untitled (204 Maple Street)
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Untitled (Woodsy Barn)
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Untitled (Front Porch)
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Untitled (Dilapidated Barn)
Mayme C. (Lassen) Gill was born in Benton County on September 7, 1905, and she married Frank John Gill in 1925. Gill was a dedicated resident of La Porte City and donated much of her time and talents to the city, including the library and the Union School District.
Her works are featured in the library and the FFA Historical & Ag Museum, reproduced on commemorative plates, and persist as full-scale murals in Union High School. Gill continued to support the community until she passed away on October 6, 1999. The library holds seven original works and six reproductions as plates. Original artworks by Gill you can find at the library are:
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Alley, La Porte City
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First Bridge Over the Cedar
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Scenes of La Porte City Series
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Old High school, 1894
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Hotel Terry Burned - Jan. 1, 1953
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Old Livery Stable Across from the School
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Howe-Truss Bridge, 1874 First over Cedar River
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ANNA HAWKINS YOUTH AREA MURAL
As the library prepared for renovations in late 2024 and into 2025, former library director Jake Rochford-Volk sought commissions for a unique mural for the Anna Hawkins Youth Area of the library. Walberg, a library assistant, graphic designer, and freelance artist, created an initial mockup for the mural, which was painted directly onto drywall from December 5, 2025, through February 13, 2026.
Walberg’s work focuses on “the human landscape … through the exaggeration of our everyday environment in a playful attempt to make visible the absurdity of our constructed spaces in contrast to the natural spaces surrounding us” (katiewalberg.com). Walberg has truly captured the heart of La Porte City by connecting the community to its roots in farming and the prairie.
PICTURING AMERICA
To bring America into every public library, the American Library Association received a grant in 2007 from the National Endowment for the Humanities for the Picturing America series. A total of $3,236,533.00 was awarded to this project, and La Porte City Public Library is home to over a dozen reproductions of famous artwork from American artists and reproductions of photographs of Americana. Explore the project throughout the library as a permanent installation.
