DeKalb community members are encouraged to help inspire the design for a new City Hall mural.
Two workshops are being held where the community will brainstorm on the themes that should be represented in the mosaic mural, which will be created on the south exterior wall of City Hall. Everyone is invited. The workshops will mirror one another, so participants only need to attend one.
The artist for the mural, Danielle Casali, who received her Master of Fine Arts degree from Northern Illinois University and has completed public murals across northern Illinois, will lead the meetings. Those attending will work in small groups to discuss the history and culture of DeKalb with a focus on belonging, and participants will be asked to draw and write their ideas.
Casali will use the recurring ideas from the brainstorming sessions to determine the main motifs and imagery for the mural design.
The City’s Community Enhancement Commission is overseeing the project and secured the T-Mobile Hometown Grant which is helping fund the mural. The Commission’s Chair, Brad Hoey, said the community’s input and involvement will be crucial to the mural’s creation.
“We are very fortunate to have a renowned artist with local ties in Danielle leading the City Hall mural project,” said Hoey. “Danielle embraces community input and participation in much of her work, and these workshops are a great opportunity for local residents to contribute in concept and execution of this latest public art project in DeKalb.”
The brainstorming workshops will be held in the Yusunas Meeting Room on the lower level of the DeKalb Public Library on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, Feb. 22 at 6 p.m. No registration is required.
These sessions are just the beginning of the community’s involvement in the mural project. Once the design is complete, a series of workshops will be held for community members to help create the mural by tiling the mosaic panels. More information on these volunteering opportunities will be released as this next phase of the project approaches.
Photo: Artist Danielle Casali (far left) led a brainstorming workshop with the Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors organization before creating a mosaic mural in Geneva. Casali will hold similar workshops at the DeKalb Public Library on Feb. 18 and Feb. 22 to help identify motifs and imagery for a mural that will be created on DeKalb City Hall. All community members are encouraged to attend.