Abraham Lincoln is returning to Galesburg … in the form of a mural.
A 20 by 32 foot mural depicting Abraham Lincoln and his 1858 appearance at Knox College for the Lincoln-Douglas Debate is being installed in the first block of South Cherry Street. A pair of artists from Salt Lake City were commissioned by the Galesburg Community Arts Center to design and install the mural on the north wall of Masa Sushi & Hibachi, 58 S. Cherry St.
The project kicks off the local Murals & Music Festival concept in conjunction with the Galesburg Tourism & Visitors Bureau.
Artist Angie Smith and her assistant and fiancee Adam Smith started the project Monday and expect it to be completed within two days. Much of the project was pre-painted on mural cloth before being attached to the wall.
Smith said she answered a national call for entry for artists and was thrilled to be selected to install the mural in Galesburg.
“I was looking into your history and thought it was very profound,” Smith said. “I just love Lincoln.
“We love this city, and are so happy to be here. Everyone has been so nice.”
Project is part of Murals & Music concept
Cetin said the concept of the Murals & Music Festival is a five-year project funded by ARPA funds from Knox County and the City of Galesburg.
The mural will allow Galesburg and Knox County be on Looking for Lincoln Trail, an initiative of the State of Illinois.
“This is an outside artist having a really great take on an image that we use quite often in our area to promote Lincoln and his importance to our area,” Cetin said.
“We just love the color and the vibrancy of it. And we love that even though it’s a little off of Main Street, it can be widely viewed by people coming through downtown and near the Knox College campus.”
Artist: Murals ‘build morale, a sense of pride’
From design to completion, Smith said the project will take about six weeks.
“This is entirely the first mural cloth mural I have put up,” she said. “There have been some challenges along with way, but I think we have everything ironed out.”
Mural cloth, according to Smith, “is a non-woven fabric which is so thin that it really soaks up the acrylic paint.
“The first mural cloth murals were put up about 30 years ago, and they’re still going strong. They actually do better than murals just painted directly on the wall.”
The mural is being installed seven feet from ground level to help discourage graffiti.
“Hopefully this mural builds morale, a sense of pride, a sense of ownership,” Smith said. “Murals are important for a community, and its culture. They’re powerful and can create social change.”
Galesburg-area could see 10-20 more murals
Cetin said the Music and Murals project is a multi-year process that could result in 10-20 murals in the area. While a location has not yet been revealed, Cetin said the next downtown mural will have an “Enjoy Galesburg” theme that highlights the attractions and history of the area.
“Now that this first mural is going up, I’ve already talked to several property owners who would like to do something on their buildings,” she said. “It’s an exciting prospect over the course of the next five to 10 years we get these murals and look like the vibrant community we are.”