Artist with Mundelein roots to paint a second mural in town
An artist with Mundelein roots soon will paint another public mural in town.
Amanda E. Gross has been hired by the Mundelein Arts Commission to decorate part of the western facade of a shopping plaza on the 600 block of East Hawley Street. The building is at Norton Avenue, east of the downtown area.
The piece will be a tribute to the building’s tenants: Dragon Star restaurant; Nana's Rum Cakes; Envios Express; El Sazon de Edmar; Rustik Tattoo Studio; and D'YiYis Beauty Salon.
“I want the mural, which I'm titling ‘Hands of the Community,’ to celebrate the analogue, by-hand contributions of the people who work in the plaza's businesses,” Gross, of Grayslake, said in an email. “Making rum cakes; cutting and styling hair; inking tattoos; crafting savory dishes.”
The painting also will show people patronizing the represented services — eating a taco, for example. It will feature pine trees and corn, too, because they grow in this region, Gross said.
“Through the mural, I'm excited to write this next love letter to my hometown,” she said.
Gross said she hopes to start painting by the end of the month. It should take two or three weeks to complete.
The village board on Monday formalized an agreement between the village, Gross and Demel Properties, the plaza’s owner. The mural will cost the village-sponsored arts commission $1,500.
The piece will be the first in a planned series of relatively small murals the arts commission has dubbed “S’Murals.” Each will be less than 100 square feet.
Gross, 41, grew up in Mundelein and graduated from Mundelein High School before going onto the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and Rhode Island School of Design. She painted her first mural in Mundelein in 2023, on the skate ramp in Lions Park, 601 Noel Drive.
Other Gross murals can be found in West suburban Forest Park as well as in New York and Atlanta. Gross also has created illustrations, sculptures and other pieces for the College of Lake County in Grayslake, the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago, the Fuller Moon Arts Festival in New York and other clients.
Mundelein long has embraced public art. Village-backed projects have included painted cows, stars and utility boxes. In addition to Lions Park, murals can be found on the 500 block of North Lake Street and on Park Street east of Lake.
Last year, the village board amended local zoning codes to expand where public murals can be painted.
rlissau@dailyherald.com