National folk artist Eric Dowdle to unveil Elgin puzzle and original artwork June 27

The city of Elgin invites the community to attend a special public art celebration at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, at DuPage Court in downtown Elgin. It will feature the unveiling of an original cityscape artwork by nationally recognized folk artist Eric Dowdle, a giant puzzle wall and the installation of artist-designed manhole covers by local artist Alisa Duda.

Created as part of Dowdle's national “Land That I Love” tour commemorating the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the original artwork captures the spirit of Elgin through its landmarks, schools, businesses, traditions and cultural touchstones. Elgin was the first community in Illinois to participate in the project.

The unveiling will feature Dowdle's signature “No Missing Piece” ceremony, which celebrates the importance of community, connection and belonging. Attendees will have the opportunity to view the original artwork alongside an 8-foot-by-10-foot puzzle wall and be among the first to purchase puzzles featuring the Elgin cityscape.

The puzzles will be available in both 500-piece and 1,000-piece editions and include an insert identifying the many locations and points of interest featured within the artwork.

Dowdle visited Elgin on his own multiple times throughout the creative process, exploring the community and researching its history firsthand before creating the piece.

“This project has a little piece of my heart,” said Amanda Harris, director of Cultural Arts & Special Events. “I love that Eric visited Elgin and saw all of this on his own. He really immersed himself and saw Elgin as it is. That's truly magical. Elgin should be proud to know that this is what people see when they come here.”

Following the unveiling, the puzzles will be available for purchase at select retailers throughout Elgin. For one year, the puzzles will be sold exclusively through local vendors before becoming available worldwide.

The celebration also will mark the installation of “The Heart of Elgin,” a series of artist-designed manhole covers created by local artist Alisa Duda. The permanent public art installation celebrates the architecture, history and character of downtown Elgin, using a commonly overlooked item as the canvas.

“The manhole covers were a very outside-the-box idea, but Elgin stepped up to the challenge, like always,” Harris said. “Alisa really outdid herself on these. They celebrate the architecture of the downtown but also serve as maps. It's incredible. I can't wait for the public to see these.”

As part of the event, prints created directly from the manhole covers will be made on-site and available for purchase. Community members are encouraged to bring their own T-shirts to receive a unique artist-designed print during the event.

The event is free and open to the public. For information, visit elginil.gov/SpecialEvents.