DOUG AND EILEEN LEUNIG
November is National Gratitude Month, and as we wind up our seven years of writing for the Community Word, we want to express our gratitude to Clare Howard. In 2014, Clare took a chance on us when she asked us to write this monthly arts column. When we said yes, we had no idea where it would lead us and the learning journey we would experience.
We have enjoyed sharing our passion for the arts and how the arts can change our community for the better. We have met so many people on our writing journey and learned so much along the way.
The richness of a community –– richness in culture and pride –– are expressed through public art. The arts are experiencing a renaissance in the Peoria area. Just a few years ago, there were a dozen or so murals in Peoria. Today there are nearly 50 murals as more businesses recognize the value of the arts. This year alone we have new murals at Northwoods Mall by André Petty, murals at The Shoppes of Grand Prairie by Jeremy Berkley and Nattali Jo Bell, the infamous Cookie Monster mural by Josh Hawkins on Spring Street, a mural by international artist Marisa Bernotti on the Hello Peoria Building, and a new augmented-reality mural by Jeremy Berkley and Bradley student Haley Hutching that will be unveiled at the Metro Centre in November. Plus the creative efforts of Professor Heather Brammeier and her Bradley students on the Hello Peoria building at 1318 SW Adams are now included in atlasobscura.com, a site dedicated to inspiring wonder and curiosity around the world.
Art: What is it good for? Community. The City-owned building at 1318 SW Adams has transformed from 2018 (top) to the public paint fling at the Big Picture Peoria Street Festival (middle) to a work of public art by Professor Heather Brammeier and the Bradley students (bottom). The whole project is supported by Big Picture Peoria, the City of Peoria, and the Illinois Arts Council (with an exhibitions grant to the Bradley University Department of Art & Design secured by Erin Buczynski). (PHOTOS BY DOUG LEUNIG AND BEAU COMMANDAY)
The public, too, is taking notice of the art renaissance. Mark Monge has organized Bike Mural Tours that draw a crowd, and in early October we led a sold-out Bradley OLLI tour to see Peoria’s murals and learn more. First Fridays for art are now well-established and galleries and the Peoria Riverfront museum are once again filling with arts patrons.
Art for the community must also include students. Over the years, we shared reasons why the arts matter in education and how they have value for students even if students have no intention of becoming artists. The arts teach the needed 21st century skills of critical thinking, communication, collaboration and creativity. Arts can provide a means of self-expression and give students a voice in our community. The State of Illinois validates this by having unanimously approved new arts learning standards for public education that acknowledges the arts are essential to a complete and competitive education.
Closing the door on our “Art: What Is It Good For?” column is bittersweet, but it is time to turn the space over to new voices. After all, it’s been seven years, and the internet is full of sites that talk about a seven-year cycle and the seven-year itch. Some sites claim that it’s a fact bodies and minds naturally change every seven years. While we can’t attest to that, we do know that we have changed during the past seven years in large part to our experiences writing this column. We look forward to seeing you all at future art events and if you would like to reach out to us directly, we can be contacted at bigpicturepeoria@gmail.com.