ROCK ISLAND, Ill. — It's a summer marked by detours as downtown Rock Island gets a facelift.
After years of planning, the City broke ground in April on a $8.7 million downtown revival project. The project is funded by $3.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, more than $3.2 million in state grants and $1.5 million in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District funds.
As part of the project, the city is creating 'Art Alley.'
Located in The District, at 1719 2nd Avenue, the alley will feature two large murals, pop-ups, live performances, art installations, sculptures and more. It's one of Rock Island's largest art projects ever.
After 400 submissions and the public weighing in on 10 finalists, two people were selected to create the new murals that will adorn the walls of Art Alley. One of the artists, Atlanta Dawn, is from right here in the Quad Cities.
Dawn was born and raised in Hampton and Moline. She now lives in Port Byron.
"I kinda had convinced myself I wasn’t going to get it, so I wouldn’t be upset when I didn’t," she said. "So when I did, it was really awesome."
Dawn creates doodles with spray paint to map out her mural.
"Do the doodles and then I overlay my design on top and that's what helps me figure out how to draw it on the wall, on a large scale," she said.
She began painting the mural on June 3 and said it would take around two-and-a-half weeks to bring it to life, making it one of the City's quicker construction projects.
"My mural is a girl. She’s blue, she’s kind of sad, she’s going on this journey," Dawn said. "It’s like my own, my own feeling of the world, that you have to shine from the inside out. So there’s this glowing orb around her face...It’s kind of like a journey of what I’ve been through with my art career."
When completed, Dawn's mural will also feature a moth and owl, both found in the Quad Cities and each representing transformation, wisdom and growth. It's titled "Luminary Voyage."
Atlanta Dawn's creation
Nicole Salgar of Miami was chosen to paint the second mural. Both murals are part of broader renovations to Arts Alley, which will soon be filled with sculptures, murals, seasonal pop-ups and performances. The total budget for the Arts Alley project is just over $534,000, according to the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Jeff Dismer is a partner at Studio 483 Architects, one of the buildings gaining a new mural. He has been pushing for the project for nearly 40 years.
"I think it makes the space engaging for people!" he said. "It's just a lot of fun to get people down here. And enjoy the built environment, the downtown, and see the buildings and socialize with people."
Dawn hopes public art will spill beyond Arts Alley into the Quad Cities.
"All these other cities, they have been doing this for a while and I think the Quad Cities is seeing how that's benefited tourism in other communities. And so that they're finally doing that here is amazing," she said.
Nicole Salgar's creation
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