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FROM LEFT: COURTESY RDG PLANNING & DESIGN; COURTESY IRIS22 PRODUCTIONS, LLC; RDG DAHLQUIST ART STUDIO
“IT’S ONE THING
TO COME UP WITH
AN INTERESTING
IDEA, BUT
THERE ARE A
LOT OF PEOPLE
INVOLVED WITH
HOW THAT IDEA
IS MANIFESTED
INTO SOMETHING
REAL: THE PUBLIC,
DIFFERENT
TALENTED ARTISTS
AND MANY OTHERS
… LIGHTING
DESIGNERS,
PROJECT
MANAGERS ….
IT’S A TEAM
APPROACH.”
David Dahlquist
,
creative director of
Dahlquist Art Studio
at RDG Planning
and Design
provides one of the most unique trail experiences in the
country; [economic and community development] is
happening no one would have imagined years ago.
What type of user experience do you wish to create
with the Raccoon River Valley Trail installation?
Because it’s at a trailhead [the western edge of Wau-
kee], we were conscious of it being a magnet. The
committee was also interested in something iconic
and colorful. It will frame a gateway to the community
and animate the trail. At the golden hour, dusk, the
lighting element will give this piece a whole new char-
acter and significance.
The High Trestle Trail installation has quickly
become an iconic rail-trail piece. How did
you get the inspiration for its design?
It’s based on the concept of taking people through a
mine shaft. During the planning process, while I was
researching local mining history, I started to meet
people that are third- or fourth-generation offshoots
of Italian immigrants who worked in the mine. We
tapped into a story people could embrace: mining his-
tory, geology, time.
When we did that project, I never imagined there’d be
so many midnight picnics and full-moon rides and wed-
dings—people celebrating life—on that bridge.
Why is art powerful to the trail experience?
A bike ride in and of itself is a work of art. It’s a perfor-
mance. So I see a clear connection between art and the
trail. The intent of art is to transport us to another time,
place or connection. Artwork helps us make those con-
nections in our lives every day.
•
Amy Kapp is editor-in-chief of
Rails to Trails
.
Rails to Trails
magazine recently talked with David
Dahlquist, creative director of Dahlquist Art Studio at
RDG Planning and Design. A professional artist for
more than three decades and an avid cyclist, Dahlquist
is responsible for leading the creation of one of the
most famous rail-trail installations in the country,
“From Here to There,” on the High Trestle Trail in Iowa.
In this interview, Dahlquist discusses his team’s large-
scale art installation project on the Raccoon River
Valley Trail. The piece (scheduled for completion in
2017)—a ceramic and steel pergola arbor structure
with LED lights—will serve as a regional attraction for
West Central Iowa.
What is your professional approach
to creating public artwork?
I call it artistic fact-finding. We go through a discovery
process that combines history, site visits, interviews and
photography. We also get a lot of public input. An idea
becomes a spark, and then there’s a moment of ignition.
We ask ourselves, “What is the story?” Then it becomes
a collaborative process to develop that story.
What about creating trail art appeals to you?
If you like bikes: everything. There’s been so much out
about how we’re disconnected from nature. On a trail,
you are connected to your own memory, to the outdoors;
you‘re very much in the moment. It’s a special feeling.
How did you get involved in the Raccoon
River Valley Trail project?
The local trail committee knew of our work on the High
Trestle Trail and selected us because of our process.
They liked our approach.
I also ride the trail all the time—from Des Moines to
Lake Panorama (50 miles)—sometimes with my son. It
David Dahlquist
The Dual Experience
of Art and Trail
BY AMY KAPP
PHOTOS:
(Left) David
Dahlquist; (top
right) “From Here to
There” installation
on the High Trestle
Trail; (bottom
right) rendering
of the in-progress
art installation for
the Raccoon River
Valley Trail
FALL 2016 RAILS TO TRAILS
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