Keith Haring mural, "A Book Full of Fun," finds temporary home at Stanley Museum of Art

Keith Haring once completed more than 50 murals in a single year.

Now, 34 years after his death, one of his murals is exclusively on display at the University of Iowa Stanley Museum of Art.

Haring's mural "A Book Full of Fun" was painted at Iowa City's Ernest Horn Elementary School in 1989. It now has a temporary home at the Stanley for six months while Horn Elementary undergoes renovations. The mural will return to the school after work is complete.

The exhibit titled "To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City," opened on Saturday, May 4, which would have been Haring's 66th birthday,

It features work by the American artist and activist, celebrating his two visits to Iowa City in the 1980s. He played an instrumental role in the community's blossoming art community.

"Haring believed in education as a cornerstone of our civic responsibility, and his work not only expressed that, but it also catalyzed it," said Diana Tuite, Stanley's visiting senior curator of modern and contemporary art and the exhibition curator.

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Haring developed a lasting relationship with Iowa City

Haring's relationship with Iowa City is a story of friendship.

Colleen Ernst was Horn Elementary's art teacher in the 1989s. In a postcard, she invited Haring to her classroom and explained her students' admiration and fascination with his work. They enjoyed his distinctive bold and colorful style, often featuring vibrating dancing figures or barking dogs on New York subway platforms.

Ernst's students told Haring, "They would love to send him some of their art."

The correspondence continued, with Haring telling Ernst, "If I'm ever able to, I would love to come to your school," Ernst told Stanley Museum of Art curators.

"[Haring] gravitated to children because of the feeling that they had not yet been tainted with the biases that society will sort of indoctrinate them into," said Tuite.

Haring also said something similar in an Iowa City Press-Citizen interview in 1989.

"It's fun to be around them," he's quoted in the article. "For me, it's the hardest audience. They're the most honest."

Haring, whose notable works include "Crack is Wack" and "Radiant Baby," rose to fame in the 1980s for his graffiti style art and recognizable style. He was not initially taken seriously by the art community because he believed in democratizing art and that it is "for everybody."

Haring came to Iowa City twice in the 1980s, first in March 1984 as an artist in residence during "Keith Haring in Iowa City." Over three days, Haring conducted workshops, painted a public mural, shared artistic insight at a public lecture, and, of course, paid a visit to his friends at Horn Elementary.

His first visit left quite an impact.

"[Haring] was a big believer in how important it was to visit places like Iowa City that are not on many people's radars," Tuite said. "There are many places that he went once and felt like he made an impact, but there are not as many places that he had this enduring relationship with… it's a testament to what is possible in this incredibly unique place."

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Keith Haring Day in Iowa City

Haring returned to Iowa City in 1989 for Horn Elementary's "Keith Haring Day." His visit came nine months before his death, and he was asked to help paint a large mural.

Haring was in Chicago to paint another mural with local high schoolers, and Ernst asked if he had time to come to Iowa City. The school prepared a six-by-10-foot space in the library for Haring to paint.

The catch was that he only had a single day to paint.

"Keith Haring Day" was filled with nostalgia and creativity. Former students came back to see Haring in action, and the kids were eager to meet the artist.

With no sketches or concrete plans, the mural began as a riot of color, gradually morphing into a book with a speech bubble and Haring's signature figures emerging as the focal point.

Students would pop into the library throughout the day, offering Haring suggestions and hoping to catch a glimpse of the progress. The painting quickly took shape, featuring whimsical characters inspired by the stories in the library.

Haring dedicated the mural, which prominently displays a trumpet, to Horn Elementary and its students, "A book filled with joy for my pals at [Horn] school!"

The artist died shortly after painting the Iowa City mural, passing away from complications with AIDS in 1990.

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To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City

Haring's mural was stationed at Horn Elementary until July 2023, when the school removed it for essential renovations. The school sought help from the Stanley Museum to relocate the artwork and the attached 4,000-pound wall for conservation.

The Stanley Museum exhibit explains Haring's process and how the mural came to be.

"There was a lot of creative problem-solving at all points because originally, it just seemed like it would be a very straightforward case," Tuite said. "We can clear a wall and we'll just put up that one work. I immediately perceived there was much more potential here to reconstruct history, but we could talk about his other visit and create it. It talks about the other visit and  build this little focus show around both (the 1984 and 1989) visits."

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The Horn Elementary mural will anchor Stanley's exhibit.

The museum is borrowing other media from the Keith Haring Foundation, including his video performance "Painting Myself Into a Corner" and the untitled tarp mural he completed for the University of Iowa in his 1984 residency.

The Keith Haring Foundation was started by Haring in the last year of his life as he faced mortality. The foundation still supports initiatives that address issues such as AIDS, children's programs, and the arts.

The Stanley Museum's exhibition explores Keith Haring's art, which often conveyed messages of tolerance and safety during the AIDS crisis. The exhibit will also feature archival material Ernst saved and personal stories from former Horn Elementary students.

"To My Friends at Horn: Keith Haring and Iowa City" will be on display through the end of the year before the mural is returned to the elementary school in 2025.

The timing is intentional, Tuite said.

"We wanted to keep it up through the end of the year and keep it up through the holidays, and so people have moved on from Iowa City, but maybe are coming back at points, so everyone in town has a chance to see it," Tuite said. "[Throughout the curation process], I've been thinking about how [Haring] doesn't just make public art; he believes all art is public."

Admission to the Stanley Museum of Art is free and open to the public from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and 12 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday.

The Museum is closed on Monday.

Jessica Rish is an entertainment, dining and business reporter for the Iowa City Press-Citizen. She can be reached at [email protected] or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @rishjessica_

This article originally appeared on Iowa City Press-Citizen: Keith Haring mural finds temporary home at Stanley Museum of Art