By Claire Kohl
“Polychromatic Rabbit” by Heather Vail projected on the east façade of 2925 Ingersoll Avenue.
“Polychromatic Rabbit” by Iowa artist Heather Vail is the third and final featured art piece of our 2026 Ingersoll Projector Showcase. On display now through April 16th, this piece features rabbits, ducks, and other bright creatures as we celebrate Easter and prepare for Spring. An evening passerby will find colorful, anthropomorphic animals jumping off the dark east façade of 2925 Ingersoll Avenue.
The Avenues of Ingersoll & Grand interviewed Heather to learn about her inspiration for the piece. Let’s hop to it.
Down the Rabbit Hole
The name “Polychromatic Rabbit” signifies the abundance of bright colors and creatures in Heather’s artwork.
One of the characters featured in “Polychromatic Rabbit”.
“I’ve always been inspired by the curiosity of rabbits,” Heather said. “I enjoy drawing rabbits because they have very expressive shapes and a lot of movement in their figures. There is a lot of personality I can put into a rabbit, and I do enjoy interweaving animals with human personality traits.
Not only does Heather find bunnies expressive, but her love of drawing rabbits comes from her love of Alice in Wonderland.
“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast” – Lewis Carroll’s Through the Looking-Glass
As a lifelong fan of the classic tale, Heather enjoys translating its use of animal personification into her artwork. Polychromatic Rabbit clearly resembles Lewis Carroll’s White Rabbit, as it captivates the viewer with many bright colors, human-like animals, and features a ticking clock.
Heather Vail poses next to some of her artwork.
“Growing up, the stories and interpretations of Alice in Wonderland were always something I was drawn to,” Heather said. “One of my first pieces was my interpretation of Alice in Wonderland.”
Heather created her animated submission using software that turned a single image into lifelike, 3D renderings.
“It was very interesting to see my different characters and different art pieces have movement, and to see it on the projector in Des Moines is just as exciting,” she said.
LEARN MORE: Ingersoll Projector Showcase artists & schedule
- Special thanks to Liz Lidgett Gallery + Design, 2921 Ingersoll, for sponsoring the honorarium for selected artists.
- Read our interview with the first and second featured artists of our 2026 Ingersoll Projector Showcase.
Artist Contact Information:
Heather Vail: Instagram Link & Facebook Link
