Raised in Waukegan, Burke Morrell remembers walking from Cooke Magnet Elementary School to the Waukegan Public Library on field trips. He first learned how to use a computer there, got books and it became an important part of his life.
Now a professional artist living in Arizona., Morrell got the opportunity to return to his hometown and paint a mural on the west wall of the library. It depicts the value of the institution, piping plovers at the lakefront and another native who honed a thirst for reading there, Ray Bradbury.
“I wanted to show the peaceful, relaxing beach,” he said. “It shows the girl lying there with books. I added dandelions as a tribute to Ray Bradbury,” he added, referring to the Waukegan-born author who read extensively at the library.
Morrell is one of four artists completing murals in downtown Waukegan. The others are Stacy Wilcox, whose art is on City Hall; Everett Reynolds with work displayed at the Puerto Rican Society building; and Janson Rapisarda decorating the intersection of Lake and Genesee streets.
City and library officials say the murals further demonstrate the city’s effort to draw people to the downtown and lakefront areas.
Rachel Cantin, a planner with the city overseeing the mural project, said the money comes from a $1 million grant from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for communities like Waukegan transitioning from the loss of a coal plant.
Cantin said approximately $400,000 is allocated for public art, including the four latest murals, a number previously done throughout town and a few more projects to come in the future. The remaining $600,000 is being spent on lead pipe replacement.
“It helps support our arts community and brings visitors to the downtown area,” Cantin said.
Art in downtown Waukegan is nothing new. Mayor Sam Cunningham said it is part of a longstanding tradition that also fits with his vision of rebuilding the city, particularly downtown and the lakefront.
“When we say we’re an art and entertainment center, it goes back to when it started with Jack Benny and Ray Bradbury,” Cunningham said. “This is another step in the cultural landscape of our downtown. We want to live up to that as we rebuild Waukegan.”
With the completion of Morrell’s mural, the library’s exterior is now awash with murals. In November, the library unveiled murals by Gaby Escovar near the front entrance and the north side, which the artist dubbed “a love letter to Waukegan.”
Tiffany Verzani, the library’s executive director, said the decoration of the exterior with murals containing messages about the community complements the message of the library. It shows inclusion and the faces of the city.
“We are very excited,” Verzani said. “I love the dandelions for Ray Bradbury. The new mural brings us full circle, showing the programs at the library. The art gives a message of what is happening on the inside. We display art at the library.”
When Morrell learned from his aunt, who lives in Waukegan, that the city was seeking mural artists, she sent him the information. He said he completed the city’s application form and was awarded the commission. Cantin liked how well he followed his proposal.
“It was almost exactly what he proposed,” Cantin said. “It really showed what Waukegan is about.”
On the wall opposite the main entrance to City Hall, Wilcox’s mural spells out Waukegan in large, bold letters surrounded by a palette of bright colors. Cantin, who works in the building daily, said, “It was fun to see it come together.”
Wilcox, a Lake County native who lives in North Chicago, said she, too, responded to the city’s call for artists. She spends a lot of time in Waukegan, and had a good idea of what she wanted to portray.
“It was designed to celebrate Waukegan,” Wilcox said. “I wanted to make it bright, colorful and vibrant. I wanted to show the colors of Lake Michigan, and the harbor and Waukegan’s rich history. Its strength is in its diversity and the rich culture we have.”
On the south wall of the Puerto Rican Society on Sheridan Road, just north of Belvidere Road, Cantin said the mural shows the history of the building as a one-time lighthouse. There is also a large Puerto Rican flag.
Reynolds’ work is not new to Waukegan. Cantin said his murals adorn the exteriors of Super Mercado Gonzalez on Grand Avenue, Oakdale Elementary School and other buildings around the city.
Rapisarda is a Milwaukee artist commissioned to paint a mural covering the entire intersection of Lake and Genesee streets. Cantin said its “bright colorful palette” is a work of abstract art, getting people’s attention at the south end of downtown.
