The Alton Ripple at 300 State Street
Artist: Joe Miller
Year Dedicated: 2021
This colorful street mural was sponsored by a Greater Gateway of Realtors Placement Grant and private fund-raising through Alton Main Street. Joe grew up in Staunton, attended Lewis & Clark Community College, and is now based in Chicago. He worked closely with Alton Main Street to design and paint his representation of a ripple broken down into individual molecules. Sadly, the elements and heavy traffic caused the mural to fade quicker than anticipated. The artist returned in 2023 to repaint the top half and restore the original vibrancy.
Artist’s Statement—The ALTON RIPPLE, Joe Miller
The Mighty Mississippi River, in its constant state of flow, doesn’t really allow for much of a traditional splash or ripple. However, Alton, Illinois, located alongside the steady current of the river has provided its own consistent state of flow, outwardly to the world and most certainly within its city limits. This city has provided a unique vibrance in the southwest corner of Illinois for longer than most of us can and will be able to remember. No town in the Alton area, Illinois or Missouri, possesses such a reputation as Alton’s past provides, and that is clearly evident to every Alton resident and visitor. The artist Joe Miller, a former resident and Lewis and Clark Community College Alumni, has had Alton on his mind since he left almost 20 years ago: “Something about Alton is special. It could be a combination of history, topography, jaw dropping truths or even haunted rumors, the people and most certainly the curiosity of the future. I’ve never known exactly what, but it just IS a special place!!”
When you think of a ripple in the water, you think of an object intersecting a body of still water such as a pond or small lake. But in Alton, the ripple is evident even when paired next to one of the world’s strongest currents. In this street installation, Joe Miller is attempting to abstractly represent this ripple broken down into individual molecules. The Alton Ripple, structured in a repetition of vibrancy that not only represents the body of water but the vast nature of the people that have intersected with this hardly forgotten town. The colorful dots flare outward like rings from a center point and pulse because the radiant progression encourages it. These individual colors wouldn’t have nearly the effect unless sequentially placed side by side, they can represent a movement and an interest in the waves of past, present and future. The Alton Ripple will provide us the possibility to intersect with an appreciation of the ground level roots and excitement about Alton’s future ripple.
Nearby Restaurants & Businesses: Morrison’s Irish Pub, State Street Market, Don & Penny’s, AP Cigar Co., Bentley’s Bar & Grill
