What an artist has planned for Mundelein's next public mural
An artist with Mundelein roots will paint the village's latest public mural.
Amanda E. Gross, who grew up in Mundelein and now splits her time between Grayslake and Atlanta, envisions a piece about Mundelein's history and skateboarding - fitting subjects for artwork that will adorn the rear face of the skateboard ramp at Lions Park, 601 Noel Drive.
The village board on Monday approved an agreement with Gross and the Mundelein Park and Recreation District, which owns the park and the skate ramp there, The board also approved a zoning variance for the project.
The park district and the Mundelein Arts Commission, which is funded by the village, are behind the project.
Gross told the Daily Herald she hopes to start work on the piece this evening.
The painting will face the Mundelein Heritage Museum, so organizers had been seeking an artist who would work in skateboarding and Mundelein's history. Each will get its own section, according to plans, with history on the left and images of popular skateboarding moves on the right.
"A few historical elements are personally important to me," said Gross, a 2003 Mundelein High School graduate who went on to the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and the Rhode Island School of Design. "I absolutely loved going to Quig's Orchard as a child, and Bill's Pizza ... is where my parents first met."
The center of the mural will have several elements, including a silhouette of the late Matt Rogan, a frequent skate park user until his untimely death in 2010. The skate ramp is dedicated to him and features a plaque honoring him will remain there. It also will feature flowering plants that grow in the park.
Gross will start the piece by projecting a version of the image onto the wall so she can draw it in pencil before she paints.
"I just bought a new projector, so hopefully it'll be as clear and bright as I need," Gross said.
She expects the mural to take three or four weeks to complete.
Gross will be paid $500 up front for supplies and $1,000 when the mural is completed.
Mundelein officials long have encouraged and funded public art. Projects have included a mural on the side of a Park Street building, a statue at the police station and an interactive sculpture in Courtland Commons park.
Painted stars and cows have been displayed in the village, too.
Earlier this summer, a mural depicting a 1940s-era street scene was painted on the side of a commercial building at 543 N. Lake St.
"As a believer in equitable access to art, and in the arts as sources of empowerment and enjoyment, I love that I have the opportunity to create something really thoughtful and beautiful for the community," Gross said.