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Haymaker Creative District Walking Tour
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Cozad is well known for our art heritage. Our outdoor art projects celebrate this spirit while making art accessible at all times of the day. Celebrate Cozad's artistic legacy of Robert Henri, world famous painter and son of Cozad's founder John J. Cozad, with artwork on fiberglass palettes displayed at various locations around town. Each of the 19 fiberglass palettes is a work of art celebrating a unique design painted by various artists.


Heritage 139 West 8th

Painted by Susan Hart Located in front of Rustic and Red Susan Hart resides in rural Cozad, NE with her husband, Jim. She earned her BA in Arts Education in 1981 from Kearney State College (now UNK) and then taught art for 17 years in Dawson County rural schools. She continues to teach children’s workshops for the Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, NE as well as workshops for adults in collage and mixed media. Her works can be found in public and private collections, including the Museum of Nebraska Art and in the art collections of Doane University and York College.

A More Simple Life 747 Meridian

Painted by Josh Arias Located in front of Waypoint Bank A native of Los Angeles, CA, Josh Arias was first exposed to art through street graffiti. Inspired by the graffiti style, Josh began his art career by experimenting with spray paint art, using bold shapes and colors to make his work stand out. Now he embraces many forms of art including sneaker design, portraiture, and murals to name a few. Art is a form of therapy for Josh as he shares his emotions through his work. Currently, he serves as Vice President of Development & Community Affairs for Impact Art in Kearney and is devoted to creating and promoting positive public art in the community.

Art Legacy 100 East 8th

 Painted by Kent Ross and Jaycie Grabenstein Located in front of the Fox Theater Kent Ross is a recently retired art instructor with 42 years of teaching experience. He is a graduate from the University of Nebraska-Kearney with a B.A. in Education and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Kent declared, “Designing the icon was a great opportunity for me and my daughter Jaysie to work together designing public art.” Jaysie Grabenstein is a graphic designer living in Loveland, CO. She is from Cozad and a graduate of UNK where she earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Visual Communication and Design. Jaysie also recently obtained a B.A. in Art History from Arizona State University. When she’s not creating or studying art & culture, she enjoys mountain hiking with her husband and beagles.

Colors of Liberty 919 E Street

Painted by Doug Keller Located along east side of Veteran's Memorial Park/City Park Born on a farm east of Eustis 60 years ago, Doug Keller had dreams of a different life. Doug attained a degree in Auto Body Technology from Southeast Community College-Milford. Then he attended Kearney State College (now UNK) and graduated with a MBA. Today he is the proud owner and president of the six Eustis Body Shop stores located throughout the state and of Eustis Mechanic Shop. Doug married his wife Deb, a school psychologist, in 1983 and together they had three children: Austin, Brianne, and Adam. Doug said of his icon, “Colors of Liberty comes from the inspiration of knowing we live in the best country in the world and our freedoms and individual rights are to be upheld at all cost. Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, and faith in God is paramount in our family’s lives.”

Community Homerun 405 West 16th

Painted by Katie B Temple Located by Stuckey Park Katie B. Temple is an accomplished artist currently living and working in Omaha, NE with her husband Andrew Temple and young son, Lachlan. She started drawing at the age of four. Now she holds a Bachelor’s of Fine Arts degree in Three-Dimensional Studies with a focus in Ceramics and a Master’s of Fine Arts degree in Ceramics. Currently, Katie serves as the Kent Bellows Studio Manager at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. Katie said that the “ball of buildings located in the center of the glove is meant to be the core focus. The white circle holds the shape and placement of a ball but contains the stitching” of key historic structures in Cozad.

Cozad's Claim to Fame 218 East 8th

Painted by Jan Anderson Located in front of the Robert Henri Museum Jan Anderson is a local, mostly self-taught, artist who despite the lack of opportunity to study art growing up has found a community of artists in Cozad to learn from. She demonstrated artistic ability from an early age, and her art supplies were restocked annually by Santa Claus; however, formal art instruction didn’t come until later in life. In 2012, Jan took her first class in watercolors and instantly became addicted. She then joined the Cozad Art Club and found her art mentors, Betty McKeone and Lona Rowland. Jan added, “Though I don’t have much in the way of art education, I am dedicated to becoming a true artist, and I paint something almost every day!”

Henri 220 East 8th

Painted by Margaret McGinnis Located in front of the Robert Henri Gallery along the Historical Walkway Margaret McGinnis is a senior at Cozad High School. She is 18 and has been taking art classes for the past four years. She was inspired by her art teacher, Mr. Trey Botts, to paint landmarks from Cozad for her icon concept. Although she does not intend to pursue a career in the arts, Margaret has enjoyed her high school art classes. Margaret is the daughter of Paul and Lori McGinnis. She plans to attend the University of Nebraska at Lincoln next fall where she plans on majoring in Pre-Med and hopes to pursue a career as an Ophthalmologist.

Doodles 139 West 8th

Painted by Amy Webb Located in front of the Cozad City Offices  Amy Webb is a graphic design artist with an Associates of Applied Science degree in Visual publications from Southeast Community College-Lincoln. She is currently living and working in North Platte. She has been employed by Coors Distributing for 8 years and is engaged to be married in October of 2019. The inspiration behind her abstract design was zentangle patterns. Zentagle art is an American drawing method developed in 2005 that promotes creativity and concentration as well as inner wellbeing. It is a combination of art and meditation.

Experiencing Faith in Nature 708 Maple

Painted by Jeremy Koch Located at Natural Escapes Jeremy Koch was born and raised in Cozad. After graduating from Concordia University, with a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art with an emphasis in Landscape Design, he and his wife, Bailey, moved back to Cozad. They started Natural Escapes, a destination garden center and landscape installation company, in July 2006 allowing customers to “Experience Nature.” They have two wonderful sons, Hudson and Asher. Jeremy worked closely with the icon committee and the designers at Icon Poly to create the original shape of the icon you see now personalized by artists all over town. The inspiration behind the art pallet icon Jeremy created was his love for spending time outdoors and watching the beauty God continually provides for all to enjoy.

Harvest Views 1710 Meridian

Painted by Addy Hergenrader Located in front of Cozad Middle School  Addy Hergenrader is currently a Cozad High School senior. She enjoys a diverse variety of art media including drawing, painting, 3-D, and textiles. Her icon artwork was inspired by the agricultural industry around Cozad. Addy added, “Being able to participate in this project allowed me to expand my knowledge of art and its connection to the community. I am thankful for the opportunity granted to me to be able to paint an icon on behalf of Security First Bank."

Joyful Hope 835 Meridian

Painted by Aimee L Erickson Located in front of Central Plains Home Health Aimee Erickson is known for a whimsical style that transforms simple items into large installations. From the elegance of painting a few figures flying kites to a massive waterfall made from scrap cardboard and linen; Aimee loves to respond to the visual stimulations from her life. She currently lives in Lincoln, NE with her husband, three boys, and dog. After graduating from UNL, she continued to explore her passions in photography, painting, mixed mediums, and sculpture. Aimee is always searching for places to grow and make an impact. No matter where she goes, Aimee surrenders her work to God, the creator of everything, and she encourages others to create new art in response to the work she does.

Landscape 300 East 12th

Painted by Mindy Burton Located on south side of Cozad Community Hospital Mindy Burton has been an art teacher at Milford Public Schools for 27 years. She has a terrific husband and three wonderful children. Mindy enjoys family, painting and creating designs as well as coaching track and volleyball. Cozad brings fond memories, as Mindy used to attend church camp each summer at Camp Comeca. She loves participating in community art projects and has created 10 sculptures for 8 different projects, such as Lincoln’s Hearts, York’s Towers, Nebraska City’s Trees, and now the Cozad Creates icon series, to name a few. She could not be more excited to learn about and give back to a community that helped her grow.

Meridian Bales 210 East 16th

Painted by Trey Botts Located in the lobby of the Cozad Wellness Center  Trey Botts is the art teacher at Cozad High School and holds a degree in Art Education from UNK. He was exposed to art at an early age by his uncle, who was also an art teacher. Trey participated in many scholastic art competitions during his early academic career, including representing Kansas at a national art show in New York. He was also President of the Art Club while in attendance at Garden City Community College. After graduating from college, Trey took a teaching job in his hometown of Garden City, KS. Five years ago he and his wife, Jessica, packed up and moved to Cozad where Trey became the middle school art instructor before switching over to teach art at the high school.

Prairie Song 2300 Ave O

Painted by Bobbi Laird Located at Meadowlark Pointe Bobbi Laird is a self-taught artist who hones her craft through the use of adult art education classes and seminars. She has dyslexia, making it very difficult to read and spell, but has found that having dyslexia has helped her in design, composition and color combination. Bobbi uses her art to share her faith stating, “it’s an ongoing process of internalizing God’s wonderful gift of creation”. She would like to thank Cozad for arranging the opportunity to share the talented folks of our city and is grateful for the support and love that Cozad has for the arts.

Tea Party 1401 O Street

Located by the Muny Park Swimming Pool Tami Sohrweid-Powell is a 36-year-old Nebraska native. Currently, she is a stay-at-home mom working on opening her own art studio. She has a wonderful husband and two children. Tami grew up watching her mother carve and paint carousel horses, and it was from her mother that she gained her love of art. She has taken her art down many paths, from tattoo parlors to painting murals in bars. “Every different outlet is a new and exciting adventure to express your artistic views,” she said.

The Pride of All Nebraska 122 East 8th

 Painted by Patrick Milne Located in front of Cozad Telephone Company Patrick Milne is a 38-year-old spray paint artist from North Platte where he currently works for the City of North Platte. He has been painting for approximately four years. His artwork features Cornhusker punter Sam Foltz, who passed away in 2016, and current University of Nebraska-Lincoln cheerleader Meredith Bowen. Patrick is married to his lovely wife, Jenn. In addition to his artistic endeavors, Patrick is also a volunteer at “Fur the Love of PAWS” animal rescue.

The Reading Tree 910 Meridian

Painted by Preston McDaniels  Located by the Wilson Public Library Preston McDaniels is a well-known artist in the Aurora, NE area. Normally a children’s book illustrator working in watercolors, Preston was “volunteered” as an icon artist by his brother-in-law Brad Niles, a Cozad local. Staying with the child literacy theme, Preston teamed up with the Wilson Public Library to create a fun and inspiring concept. “The Reading Tree” is a result of that collaboration. Preston stated, “It’s supposed to be for kids to get them interested in reading.” The Cozad Creates icon is his largest art piece to date and his first using acrylic paints.

The Spirit of Nebraska East 7th and E Street

Painted by Rose Mapel Located by the Cozad Welcome Garden near Sonny's Super Foods Born in the Nebraska Sandhills, Rose Mapel has always been interested in creating. She is largely self-taught and enjoys learning new avenues and mediums to express her artistic side, with painting and photography being her two favorites. Rose and her husband founded Rustic Milling & Craft, LLC, in Cozad in 2016 and since then she has been involved in numerous public art projects in the region, including the new 50-State Barn Quilt attraction on display in Cozad. Additionally, she travels and teaches non-credit creative and art classes for several regional community colleges. Rose shared, “art has enriched my life in countless ways. Hours pass by like they are minutes. It gets my imagination going. I enjoy sharing this passion with others and hope they get even a little taste of what I feel.”

Wild Nebraska 110 West 9th

Painted by Sue Perez Located in front of McKeone Law Office Sue Perez is a self-taught artist who has endeavored to encapsulate the spirit and the strength of life experiences through her art. Her creative journey began about 19 years ago when a devastating tornado left her to ponder man’s time on earth and how her art could leave an impression on future generations. Her exploration into the aesthetic of the commonplace has resulted in a deep appreciation of the truth and beauty of everyday ordinary things. For Sue, art is a celebration of life. Her award-winning artwork has been included in several worldwide publications and graces the walls of admirers in all 50 states as well as 29 countries. Locally, a selection of her work is on display at the Prairie Arts Center in North Platte.

Cozad's artistic heritage is deeply intertwined with the legacy of Robert Henri, a renowned painter and son of the town's founder, John J. Cozad. Henri's influence stretches far beyond Cozad, as he championed realism and captured everyday life with remarkable authenticity, leaving an indelible mark on the global art scene.

In tribute to Henri's legacy, Cozad embarked on an ambitious project organized by the Cozad Development Corporation: outdoor art installations featuring fiberglass palettes adorned with unique designs by various artists. These palettes serve as vibrant canvases, transforming the town into an open-air gallery that celebrates its artistic spirit.

The choice of fiberglass as the medium is not only a nod to Henri's painterly craft but also symbolizes Cozad's resilience and adaptability. These installations invite residents and visitors to explore the town's artistic offerings, fostering a deeper connection to its cultural identity.

Moreover, the palettes serve as cultural landmarks, enhancing Cozad's appeal as a destination for art enthusiasts. They encapsulate the town's diverse artistic community and invite all to experience the beauty and creativity that define Cozad's artistic legacy.

, Cozad Development Corporation. Cozad Creates Booklet 2019.