Downtown Naperville has a new glow about it, thanks to a piece of art now displayed prominently on the north side of the Liam Brex building at 220 S. Main Street.
‘Glow’ reminds public to look up and find joy
“Glow” is the name of the 13-foot-wide, 23-foot-tall mural, created by Naperville native Maddie Peterson. It depicts a coat on a hanger being lifted by a large, orange balloon.
Peterson said the piece depicts the idea of “looking up” at the world around you, when you feel like you are getting mired down.
“I think it’s really easy to get caught up in day-to-day life and all of our responsibilities and stresses. And, I think it’s really important to remember to find little moments of joy and, kind of pleasure in the simple things. So I wanted to create Glow as kind of a reminder to do that,” Peterson said.
The original work was a soft pastel drawing done on paper, measuring just 15 inches by 27 inches. Peterson noted that seeing it at this new scale was “kind of wild.”
New mural made possible by ArtForum: The Naperville Partnership for Public Arts
The new artwork was chosen as part of a collaboration between local nonprofit ArtForum: The Naperville Partnership for Public Arts and Liam Brex.
“We had a call for artists, and we got 16 applicants. Obviously, Maddie was one of them. We had another one, Jennifer Byrne from Aurora. The executive board narrowed the 16 submissions down to the two, and then we sent it on to our advisory board, and then obviously, Maddie’s piece was chosen,” said Shannon Greene Robb, vice chair of ArtForum Naperville.
The project is funded in part by a Special Events and Community Arts Program grant. The plan is for the mural to be rotated out each year, to give different artists a chance to shine. Glow replaces the Towering Sunflower that graced the wall before it.
“We love the fact that we can bring new things continually to the city. People always say, ‘I feel like a tourist in my own town.’ And that, to me, is something that’s really beautiful. You know, there’s…things that we can do to create new conversation, spark new thoughts, and create a sense of community,” Greene Robb said.
A welcome homecoming project for Naperville native
Peterson was thrilled to be the chosen artist this time around, having recently returned to Naperville after spending time in New York and England.
“This piece is kind of a nice, like, homecoming,” she said.
“It’s nice to be able to kind of connect and contribute to the community I grew up in,” Peterson added.
New artists will be able to apply throughout the year online, and can even do so right at the artwork itself through a QR code next to the piece.
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