In collaboration with Arts Share, graduate students in the School of Art & Art History worked with local businesses in the Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street District to design window displays for the holiday season.

This project, dubbed the “Window Wonderland,” was developed to entice shoppers to the Main Street District during the holiday season and encourage people to buy local. Throughout the holiday season, visitors could vote on their favorite window displays, with awards going to the top three windows at the end of the season. The Main Street District reported record voting as a result of the partnership with the University of Iowa, which in turn indicated enhanced foot traffic throughout the neighborhood. Czech Village/New Bohemia Main Street District is an example of a sustainable and livable neighborhood in Cedar Rapids, where residents can live, work and play within walking distance of each other.