In November 2009, a pebble was tossed into the art pool of Central Illinois. That’s when Rocco Landesman, chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, visited Peoria and challenged us to work together as a community to see how vital we could make the arts in Central Illinois.

Now in the summer of 2015, we are seeing visible evidence of the ripple effect created by his comments. A vibrant arts district is gaining momentum, adding to the existing foundation provided by Peoria Art Guild, Contemporary Art Center, Peoria Riverfront Museum, Prairie Center of the Arts and the Central Illinois Artists Organization. If you are not following the daily unfolding of the arts scene in Peoria, here are just a few of the developments you may have missed.

In March 2015, the Peoria City Council voted to allow interchangeable murals in the Warehouse District. Councilman Ryan Spain initiated the ordinance that opens the doors for placing art onto buildings in the National Historic District as well as throughout the city. This change is what motivated Chuck Gabbert of C.T. Gabbert Remodeling and Construction to be the first businessman in the Warehouse District to place interchangeable art on his building at 1323 SW Adams.

“My initial reason was to allow artists who may not be able to show their work in public very easily to have a venue. Four interchangeable murals will allow different artists access to show their work,” said Gabbert.

One of the first 25-foot billboards on display in the Gabbert Art Park will be “Combined Sewer Overflow” by the senior art students at Peoria High. Sewage and art? Yes, that is an odd combination, but thanks to teacher David Sorokowski of Peoria High, his students got involved in the Sun Foundation’s annual Clean Water Celebration. Students researched the combined sewer overflow problem that exists in Peoria and created the billboard art to help educate the public. You can learn more by seeing the 25-foot billboard at Gabberts.

“Putting up their artwork is a fun way for the kids to see that all the time and effort they put into this is appreciated. We want them to be able to bring their family and friends by to see their work and be proud of it,” Gabbert said.

Another big change for art in Central Illinois (and we do mean big) is that residents will be seeing art during their daily commute. Adams Outdoor Advertising and ArtsPartners joined together to bring to Peoria ArtPop. ArtPop is a national campaign that puts art on billboards and Peoria is the third city nationwide to feature ArtPop.

Brad Mitchell, general manager of Adams Outdoor, proposed the idea of ArtPop Peoria to us last fall. Members of local arts organizations joined in a collaborative effort to select the winners from nearly 200 submissions by local artists. Five local artists’ work will be displayed on 48-foot billboards beginning the week of June 15. A map on ArtsPartners.net will show where the billboards are.

And the final collaborative effort we want to discuss this month is Sculpture Walk Peoria (SWP). SWP will proudly be unveiling 15 sculptures the weekend of June 6 along Washington Street between Harrison and State Streets. A dedicated team of artists and arts advocates worked for months to make this art corridor in Peoria a reality. The sculptures will be in place for a year and during that time the committee has plans for docent-led tours as well as educational programs to complement the sculptures. Four Central Illinois sculptors–Fisher Stolz, Jaci Willis, Matt Matheney, and Mark Richey– will be featured in this first annual Sculpture Walk Peoria.

If Rocco Landesman were to revisit Peoria today, he would see the results of our collaborations. Together, artists, arts organizations, city officials, and businesses are proving the social and economic impact of the arts.

The Western Avenue Mural Project: Wall #1 by R. Rashad Reed, assisted Brenda Gentry. The central theme of the mural is the concrete rose, which highlights the ability to succeed even in an adverse environment. Orlando Randle of TTs Bar B Q had the idea of a mural celebrating the people of the Southside. Mr. Randle contacted Councilwoman Denise Moore who took action to arrange for sponsorship by the City of Peoria, Greater Peoria LISC, and The Heritage Ensemble. The mural is located at 436 South Western Ave.