Slew of possibilities for Naperville Century Walk art

What do Dick Tracy, the Grinch and Joseph Naper have in common?

All three may eventually be commemorated in Century Walk public art pieces around Naperville.

The Century Walk Corp. headed by President Brand Bobosky unveiled its latest ideas for artwork at a special preview party Wednesday. The proposed pieces are all still under consideration and have not yet been given final approval.

The group has already placed 31 pieces of art around the city's downtown since 1996. The first 30 focused on telling the story of the city's history while upcoming pieces will branch out further.

"Nothing is closed out," Bobosky said. "Really the possibilities are truly endless as to what we can do as we move into phase two."

Dick Locher, longtime artist of the Dick Tracy comics, was on hand Wednesday to unveil a miniature version of a piece of art he would like to see in Naperville - an 8-and-a-half-foot tall full color Dick Tracy sculpture.

The comic strip is the fifth oldest existing comic in the country and has been drawn in Naperville for the past 27 years, according to Locher.

"They say a country is judged by how it treats its artists," Locher said. "I'd say Naperville is way ahead of the curve."

Century Walk Corp. would also like to eventually create a public art piece at the Joseph Naper homestead site at Jefferson Avenue and Mill Street to honor the city's founder.

In addition, the group plans to round out its Dr. Seuss inspired pieces with a Grinch sculpture that would be placed at the Naper Boulevard Library.

There is currently a "Cat in the Hat" sculpture at the Nichols Library and a "Green Eggs and Ham" themed sculpture in the works for the 95th Street Library that should be ready next year.

"I look at what Seuss has created and what he has done in the world and he inspires people, gets people to use their imaginations and in the same way that's what's going on in this community," said Bill Dreyer, curator for the Art of Dr. Seuss collection.

The most immediate Century Walk sculpture in the works is one of prominent developer and philanthropist Harold Moser and his wife Margaret by artist Bart Gunderson that will be placed near the Millennium Carillon as early as December.

"Harold Moser was a self-made man that created the world around him," Gunderson said in a written statement. "He himself was a work in progress, a masterpiece in the making."

Century Walk receives funding both from donors and the city's Special Events and Cultural Amenities Fund.