Public Art Projects
Alton Main Street recognizes the important role that public art and a beautiful streetscape can play in the revitalization of an area. We are proud to support Alton’s local art community by providing opportunities to create and thrive, while simultaneously helping create a welcoming downtown and a beautiful Alton that all can enjoy. Our Design Committee works tirelessly to establish the downtown area as a haven by creating and caring for our downtown greenscapes and flowers, coordinating holiday decorations, and cultivating public art created by area artists. Below you will find a sampling of the artistic endeavors that Alton Main Street helps to enable.
Downtown Alton Mural Grant Program
Alton Main Street and Jacoby Arts Center are excited to present the Downtown Alton Mural Grant Program. This program is designed to assist property and business owners in the funding and implementation of murals and artwork for the purpose of creating a positive visual impact, stimulating private investment, and complementing other community development efforts, while tapping into community talent and investing in local artists. As funding becomes available, granting opportunities will be listed here!
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Riverbend Yarn Bomber Collaborations
A “Yarn Bomb,”is a public art installation that uses knitted or crocheted yarn to create street art rather than paint or chalk. The Riverbend Yarn Bombers was originally organized by Laura Blair as an effort to introduce this unique fiber art to the Alton area and bring together local fiber artist for large scale public displays. As their first major project, the group decorated the exterior of the historic Jacoby Furniture building, in 2014 the festival grounds of The Big Gig Local Music Show were decked out, and in 2015 the same was done for Rock the Hops venues.
3rd Street Yarn Bomb
The Riverbend Yarn Bombers approached Alton Main Street for a possible collaboration, and we welcomed this colorful way to help infuse the arts into the fabric of our community. The first collaboration saw the lamp posts and trees of downtown Alton become festooned with color.
Annual Scarf Bomb
In 2014, Sally Kirbach, who was a member of Riverbend Yarnbombers and was later elected to join the Alton Main Street Board, introduced the “Scarf Bomb”, and this has now become an annual collaborative. The Scarf Bomb takes place when the weather turns cold. Artists create beautiful scarves, mittens, hats, and other yarn creations specifically geared to provide warmth as well as beauty. These creations are then left all over the downtown area for any who may need them, thus combining art and compassion.
Mississippi Earthtones Festival
The Riverbend Yarnbombers have presented public installations annually at the Mississippi Earthtones Festival. Their exhibits are often interactive, allowing guests to touch and feel the creations and children to play, fostering a love of art in the young.
Public Art Displays at Night Market on Broadway
Throughout the Summer Months, Alton Main Street hosts a unique weekly event that brings together the diverse community of Alton at the Night Market on Broadway. Visitors enjoy live music and handmade products in a setting that stretches from inside Jacoby Arts Center to the beautiful Pocket Park outside.
Alton Main Street strives to encourage local arts and music, and Night Market provides a unique opportunity for artists specializing in large scale public art to share their creations with an appreciative public.
Alton Main Street offers a stipend to large-scale artists wishing to set up an installation at Night Market. If you are an artist interested in taking advantage of this opportunity, please email info@altonmainstreet.org for more information.
Alton Dog Park Picnic Tables
In 2019, Alton Main Street donated three picnic tables to the Alton Dog Park at Russel Commons Park (adjacent to the Alton Marina). The Design Team, led by Emily Keener, then put out the call for area artists to submit designs, which were voted on by the Alton community at large via social media (Facebook). Alton Main Street then paid a stipend to each of the three chosen artists to fund their creations. The finished tables were displayed at the 2019 Mississippi Earthtones Festival. Residents and visitors can now enjoy them at the Alton Dog Park.
Downtown Alton Murals Coordinated by Alton Main Street
Alton Main Street recognizes the importance of art in everyday life. Public art plays a vital role in fostering community pride and creating a positive environment where residents can thrive.
Alton Main Street has enabled several beautiful murals throughout our downtown district. All artists receive fair financial recompense for their wonderful creations.
Eyez On Milez
Eyez on Milez is a mural of Jazz Legend Miles David commissioned by Alton Main Street in 2024 and located on the back wall of 219 W. 3rd St. on the corner of Broadway and State Street. The piece was conceived and painted by Peat “Eyez” Wollaeger and assistant Nora Baumgart.
The interactive mural was selected in preparation for the 100th birthday celebration of Miles Davis, an internationally recognized jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and composer who was born in Alton, Illinois on May 26th, 1926. Eyez on Milez isn’t just a static mural! The piece “comes to life” in the form of augmented reality via the Artivive and plays “So What” from the Kind of Blue album. To enjoy this feature, download Artivive on the App Store and Google Play Store
Learn more about the street art philosophy behind the artist, Peat “Eyez” Wollaeger, here.
Vigorous
A necessary but less-than-visually attractive utility box just outside of Bossanova Martini Lounge & Bar became the canvas for a local artist to create “Vigorous”. The commission was paid for by the Downtown Alton Mural Grant Program, a joint funding initiative by Alton Main Street and Jacoby Arts Center.
Artist’s Statement: Life is a stream of tangible and ethereal, as well as desirable and displeasing experiences. I understand the irritation in lack of control. It is a practice of patience, acceptance, and finding the beauty in what is happening. My painting style mimics the same description due to the spontaneous, yet controlled, nature. Although the liquid paint may flow unpredictably at times – the initial mark is purposeful. All strokes placed in the moment, allowing for what is meant to be.
Jenna Muscarella is an artist and art educator, native to Alton, IL. She actively displays her own work, juries, curates, and installs exhibits locally and nationwide. Jenna is a graduate of the University of Kansas, Bachelors of Art Education, concentrating in painting. She also worked as a gallery artist and art educator in South Texas. Jenna found herself returning to Alton after years of visually representing her observations, as she planted roots in other locations. It was necessary to return; she is heavily influenced by nature and the surrounding beauty of the Mississippi River valley landscape.
Alton Flyway
The Alton Flyway Mural designed by the late James K. Schmidt, who was a distinguished artist and Principia College Art Professor, was executed by Robert Fishbone of On the Wall Productions from St. Louis in 2023. Alton Main Street, the Audubon Society and many local residents contributed to the realization of this mural depicting abstract white silhouettes of migrating birds overtop Bauhaus style squares in greens and blues. Michelle Provenzano and Libby Reuter assisted Robert Fishbone in the six weeks it took to realize this mural by using Schmidt’s maquette as a guide for color matching and bird placement.
This project was recognized by the National Audubon Society Mural Project
You Are Enough
You Are Enough is a public art piece provided by the Downtown Alton Mural Grant Program, a joint grant program awarded by Alton Main Street and Jacoby Arts Center to beautify local businesses in the Downtown District. The piece was designed and painted by artist Jules Fair (JF Perspective) on the side of River Bend Yoga Studio at 100 W. 3rd Street in Alton and dedicated in 2023.
Jules Fair is an Alton creator, advocate, dreamer, and art guide that has been participating in the local art community at Jacoby Art Center, the Conservatory, Mississippi Earthtones Festival, and Soulard Art Gallery as a contributing artist and teacher. Much of her artwork is painted and sculpted with celestial and soulful elements.
This project was recognized by the National Audubon Society Mural Project.
Sunset
Commissioned as part of the public art mini-grant initiative spearheaded by Alton Main Street and Jacoby Arts Center, Sunset was conceptualized by artist Avery Houser and painted by Russ Smith on the outside of the warehouse of The Lovejoy (now The Renaissance X), owned by Smith. Alton Main Street received the Lieutenant Governor Award for Design in recognition of the organization’s mini-mural grant program.
Street Mural at the corner of State & 3rd Streets
Alton Main Street is announcing a new public art project, a street mural which will be painted directly on the roadway at the intersection of State and 3rd Streets in the heart of Downtown Alton’s entertainment district.
The public is welcome to observe the artist at work from the nearby outdoor dining areas, and visit the district to enjoy the mural upon completion. Creation of the mural will begin on Sunday, September 26th and the project is expected to take between 3-5 days to complete. State Street from Broadway to 4th Street will be closed to vehicular traffic for the duration of the installation. The work of art is expected to last a decade or more before requiring maintenance.
Besides the obvious benefits of beautifying a public space, street murals offer the added benefit of calming traffic which increases the safety of pedestrians and bicyclists. Public art benefits urban environments by creating a safer community, generating relationships between constituents and businesses, and increasing economic revenue.
“Economically speaking, street art is a huge draw for residents and tourists alike. Visitors to the district will translate into shoppers and diners for our local businesses,” said Sara McGibany, Executive Director of Alton Main Street, adding “The addition of this colorful and intriguing piece of art to our urban environment will also serve to highlight the cultural vibrancy of Alton and demonstrate that our community is evolving and thriving.”
Artist Joe Miller has been selected to create the artwork. Miller originally hails from Staunton, IL and is now based in Chicago. After attending Lewis & Clark Community College, he went on to receive his Master of Fine Arts degree from the University of Chicago in 2008. Miller is a professional muralist, whose work consists primarily of large-scale mural projects throughout the Chicagoland area, as well as across the country and around the world.
To learn more about the artist, visit www.instagram.com/thejoemiller
Artist’s Statement: The ALTON RIPPLE
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 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.
Life Along the Mississippi River
This mural was created as part of the grand prize for Alton winning the small business revolution – currently the location that houses this mural is under construction- please do not attempt to enter the grounds.
Artist’s Statement: Life Along the Mississippi River provides a unique perspective into the systems that regulate and influence our cultures, communities, economies. The development and rise of new technologies allows us to experience the interconnectedness of our great ecosystem and see almost in totality its influence upon our lives. This “birds eye” point of view attempts to illustrate that we are all connected to the Mississippi River and depend upon it as a source of income, inspiration, and identity. Eliminating my own personal narrative allows the viewer to bring to the work their own sense of place and create their own connections.
The mural is divided into two foot squares in a grid fashion that creates the pixilated effect. These two foot sections are available for purchase or individual designation for the children of the community. By identifying each square ( A1, B3, etc.) on an X,Y axis the children can easily identify their section and paint their image accordingly. The maquette suggests a main color for which the child to create his or her own interpretation of their community and place in it.
Abundance
This ambitious project stretches over much of one side of a building on Ridge Street and was designed and coordinated in 2014 by Principia Visiting Professor Anne Farley Gaines and eight of her art students: Lauren Beisel, Caleb “Bucky” Brewer, Serkalem Carper, Phil Drake, Bryan Gerould, Janet Mulwenge, Juliette Roy, Lukh Sentongo. Other faculty and students also assisted in the creation of this piece; a full list of participants can be seen on the mural itself and in the picture below.
A River Runs Through US
During the summer of 2012, the AMS Design committee led by Sarah Neal chose to organize a children’s mural project, with the theme of “A River Runs Through Us”. Theme illustrates the importance of grooming our children to be active citizens in their communities while recognizing the significance of the Mississippi River in our local culture.
Artist Jeanie Cousley was selected to paint colorful scenes of life on the river on a wall at the well-traveled intersection of Piasa St. (US Hwy 67) and 9th Street, which is the endcap of the Main Street district. Over 200 children were involved in painting the masterpiece, including a field trip of students from Riverbend Head Start & Family Services.
Alton Main Street thanks our many private donors and volunteers who made the project possible along with support from Jacoby Arts Center, Illinois Arts Council, Alton Community Service League, Alton Foundation, and Sherwin-Williams.
