Find the rabbits — that’s the theme of “Bunny Trail,” a new art installation going up July 12 in Brookings.

“It is a multi-faceted art installation in downtown Brookings. So it is a mural, it is poetry, and it is like a statue scavenger hunt,” Kirsten Gjesdal, executive director of Downtown Brookings, said. “On these panels, there’s this poem that’s about these mischievous rabbits just hiding around downtown Brookings. And then that coordinates with 12 rabbits that we will have hidden around like a two or three block radius of downtown Brookings, so people can like get out and explore and find all the rabbits that are hiding around downtown.”

The three-paneled mural will be installed in the alley of the 400 block of 4th Street. The 12 rabbits are small, two-dimensional cut-outs attached to various buildings throughout the area. The new art is part of an ongoing effort to enhance both the beauty and safety of downtown Brookings.

“These murals are backlit, so there’s lighting that’s adding to the lighting in the alley, so it’ll be really nice-looking during the day, but also add to the safety and just usability of our alleys at night,” Gjesdal said. “I think public art and having these beautiful art displays downtown really help people feel pride for the place. And when they are proud of where they live, I think people generally take care of it a little bit better. And if that is an alleyway that is used more because it is well-lit now, that’s just more feet on the street, seeing what’s going on.”

The rabbits were sculpted by Brookings artist Erik Ritter, the poem was written by Sioux Falls poet Bonnie Henningson, and the three-panel mural was painted by Iowa City muralist Ali Hval. 

“I wanted to make sure it was a very whimsical, fun mural that kids would enjoy,” Hval said. “I didn’t want it terribly detailed. I wanted it to still feel accessible to kids. And so I kind of made these color block designs that were very simplified and had a lot of overlapping shapes.”

“Everything needed to be bright and colorful and just light up the alley,” Hval said. “It’s so fun. I’m used to like having to mix the colors and add like more muted colors into them, like adding black. And these are staying really bright and vibrant. So I’m not having to get these really naturalistic colors. I’m using these more fun, playful, Crayola box colors.

Gjesdal said the total price tag for the project is $15 thousand. The Visit Brookings organization provided $6 thousand, and the rest was paid by Downtown Brookings itself.

“We’re a completely separate non-profit, so we can accept donations, sponsorships, all that kind of stuff. So if anyone wants to see more of this in downtown, we’d be happy to talk with you,” Gjesdal said. “A ton of partners have gone into making this happen, and I think it’s going to be a really great showcase of how cool some of these public art installations can be when we work together.”

Ribbon-cutting for the new art installation will be July 12 at 4:00 p.m. in the alley of the 400 block of 4th Street. 

Email Jay Roe at jroe@brookingsregister.com.