“This was a natural expansion of that effort to bring people to Naperville to see the art, to have them be able to shop and dine and eat in our city, and also get the background and the cultural experience as well,” said Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli.
On July 24, the City of Naperville held a ribbon-cutting ceremony outside Nichols Library to celebrate the city’s role in the “Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy” exhibit.
What is “Olmec Trails: Culture and Legacy?”
The outdoor exhibition features 33 large-scale Mesoamerican Olmec heads painted by North American contemporary artists and is displayed throughout DuPage County.
The project was started in late 2022 by the Mexican Cultural Center DuPage (MCCD) and Meztli, Mexico, in partnership with the College of DuPage Public Art Project and the DuPage Convention & Visitors Bureau.
“They pay tribute and celebrate Mexican heritage while highlighting public arts significance,” said Wehrli.
Naperville welcomed two of the Olmec heads to the city: One outside of Nichols Library painted by Juan Chawuk and another outside of the 95th Street Library painted by Flavio López López.
“People will take pictures with the artwork, they’ll interpret it a certain way. They’ll take up close shots, and they’ll walk away learning or knowing something, or maybe researching something that they didn’t know before,” said Wehrli.
Ribbon cutting ceremony at Nichols Library
The ribbon-cutting celebration featured remarks from Naperville Mayor Scott Wehrli, President Emeritus of the National Museum of Mexican Art Carlos Tortolero, President of the MCCD Fernando Ramirez, and the artist of the Nichols Library sculpture, Juan Chawuk.
“The Olmecs were the first group in the Americas to have a writing system. They had [the number] zero over 1,000 years before the Europeans did, said Tortolero. “Chocolate, corn, vanilla, papaya, I can go on and on, going all over the world, and the Olmecs had it first.”
After the remarks and ribbon cutting, guests were treated to Mexican refreshments, enjoyed live music from Mariachi Michoacana, and admired the Olmec sculpture in Downtown Naperville, which will remain in the city through October.
“I think we’re always working on learning about each other in Naperville, and anything we can do to create this welcoming and open environment for our city is a step in the right direction,” said Wehrli.
Information about the Olmec sculptures in Naperville
The city partnered with the Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS), the DuPage Hispanic Alliance (DHA), the Naperville Public Library, the Naperville Sister Cities Foundation, and the Special Events and Community Arts (SECA) Commission for the ribbon-cutting event.
Naperville received a $2,500 grant from Arts DuPage and the JCS Arts, Health, and Education Fund of the DuPage Foundation. The city also received a $1,000 donation from the Naperville Public Library, and a $6,500 donation from SECA to assist with the project.
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