The City of Cottage Grove will be welcoming renowned folk artist Eric Dowdle on Jan. 18. The city has commissioned a painting from Dowdle Folk Art, featuring people, places, and events, both historic and current, from around the city.
Hosted at River Oaks Golf Course and Event Center, the event on Jan. 18 will be Dowdle’s first visit to the city to kick off participation in his “Land That I Love” tour for America’s 250th birthday starting in 2026. Eric Dowdle is partnering with a handful of communities in each state during his tour to tell the unique story and rich history of each community.
Used as a tool to help drive economic development and tourism to the city, Cottage Grove will also be working with Dowdle Folk Art to coordinate a puzzle based on the original artwork. These puzzles will be available for purchase by the public at a later date.
Dowdle is passionate about capturing the essence and stories of cities and places worldwide through the captivating medium of folk-art style painting. His mission is to transport viewers and art enthusiasts into the heart of each location, offering a deeper understanding of the community's history, culture, and people. The Dowdle team's creative process has been documented in the popular series "Painting the Town with Eric Dowdle," available for streaming on Amazon Prime Videos and now rebranded as "The Piece Maker" which has recently been picked up by the Magnolia Network and is currently premiering on Discovery+ and HBO Max.
This will not be Dowdle’s only visit to Cottage Grove. He will be back for the unveiling event on June 13, 2024, which will be when the community can purchase the work of art in puzzle format.