An Aurora City Council committee has approved artwork for a park known as “the skinny park” downtown, including a mural from an internationally known artist.
Members of the City Council Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee unanimously approved the murals that will adorn both walls of the park, which runs from Broadway to the Water Street Mall, just south of Galena Boulevard.
One of the works, a 40-foot by 28-foot mural to be painted directly on the north facing brick wall, will be done by JDL Street art, better known as Judith de Leeuw, an Amsterdam-based, multiple award-winning street artist with works exhibited throughout the world.
Jen Evans, Aurora’s public art director, said de Leeuw’s work is part of what she hopes will be a “growing program” of celebrity-level murals that will bring more tourism to the city.
Judith de Leeuw has somewhat of a kinship to many Aurora artists in that she started as a street artist when she was 15, and is “on the list of the best female muralists in the world,” Evans said. She pointed out that about 10% to 15% of muralists are women.
The artist from the Netherlands was chosen from six who applied for the work, although only two of the artists had the experience the Public Art Commission was looking for in its request for proposals, Evans said.
Evans said de Leeuw typically comes to a city where she is commissioned to do a piece of art and spends a week meeting people and getting to know the community. She then spends a second week painting the mural, she said.
Her work usually uses black and white on a blue background.
Aldermen on the committee approved the concept of the artwork, but decided to hold final approval until they see a mockup of the actual design. Evans estimated that would be available in about nine days, at which time committee members said they would hold a special meeting to vote on the content.
Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, a committee member, said while he likes the idea, “I would feel more comfortable seeing it first.”
Evans said the Public Art Commission also looks at content before it is painted too.
“Nobody has carte blanche to do anything,” she said.
The other wall will have four smaller murals, 8 feet by 12 feet, that will be done on canvas and posted on the wall. They will be inside frames that will be permanently mounted on the wall. The plan is to change the four murals inside the frames every two years.
The murals will be based on vintage postage stamps from countries representing the diversity of Aurora. The first four will be from Greece, Brazil, Kenya and Luxembourg.
The works will be done by Midwest Immersive, a tech art company that was chosen from five companies that answered the Public Art Commission’s request for proposals.
Midwest Immersive bid the lowest price of all those applying, Evans said.
After the canvases are installed, Midwest Immersive will do augmented reality with each work, meaning they will contain a code people can point their smartphones at and get other artistic elements.
“It’s done to increase engagement,” Evans said.
Ald. Patty Smith, 8th Ward, called the idea “a great concept,” and said she liked “the fact they will be changed out every two years.”
“It will continue to bring the residents to the spot to see new artwork,” she said.
Both pieces of art will be paid for out of a $261,032 contract city officials approved last August with Semper Fi Landscaping Inc., of Yorkville, to renovate the park.
The company will build a concrete walkway with a brick inlay to match other walkways downtown, patio areas also with brick pavers, a water feature and prepare the walls for the artwork. Payment for the art will be augmented by the Public Art Commission.
slord@tribpub.com
