Quad City Arts has received about 400 artist submissions from around the world to create two new outdoor murals at Arts Alley, 1719 2nd Ave., next to its downtown Rock Island building.
Selection of two artists is expected by late April and completion of the murals in June, to be done concurrently with the $8.5-million “Rebuild Downtown” project by Valley Construction of Rock Island. The mural work is not part of the Valley contract (expected to begin work April 8), which estimates a cost of $657,887 for reconstruction and reimaging of Arts Alley.
Other improvements to Arts Alley will include a decorative walkway, lighting and signage; space for social gatherings and performances; weatherproof vendor stalls for seasonal pop-up shop programs; and additional art installations.
“This is one of the projects that I have been a part of, since before I even joined council – having been part of the steering committee that helped create the Downtown Alliance and also working with Jack Cullen on Arts Alley specifically,” Quad City Arts executive director Kevin Maynard (who’s also the city’s new 3rd Ward alderman), said Thursday.
He just joined the City Council earlier this month, sworn in after being appointed to succeed former Ald. Judith Gilbert.
“I am impressed with what Public Works and Jack and everybody have put together with the architects and that design team. It’s a massive project and I’m excited to see the impact of what that’s going to do to downtown Rock Island,” Maynard said, crediting Downtown Alliance leader Jack Cullen.
“We have to take care of the things that we have and this is a prime opportunity with the ARPA dollars to be able to truly reinvest into our downtown and redo some of those areas,” he said, noting removal of the pedestrian mall on 2nd Avenue between 18th and 19th streets, and widening sidewalks along 2nd, with through traffic.
“If your infrastructure is solid, that’s one way of attracting new businesses,” Maynard said. “Obviously, there’s a whole lot of other things that go into that, when you start looking at the bigger picture. But that is an aspect when businesses are looking at their location.”
Mural selection
In January, Quad City Arts and the Rock Island Downtown Alliance sought submissions for the Arts Alley murals (one on a west-facing wall and one opposite, facing east), with qualifications due Feb. 21.
The payments for the artists will be:
- Mural 1: $33,600 (80 feet x 28 feet)
- Mural 2: $27,000 (60’ x 30’)
“It’s hard to convey in digital renderings the impact these large-scale murals will have on both the downtown streetscape and the downtown economy as well,” Jack Cullen, RIDA executive director, said in January. “We believe these improvements, paired with plans to program Arts Alley, will bring more foot traffic downtown, and we are thrilled to take this next step with Quad City Arts and the city of Rock Island.”
A good chunk of the Arts Alley submissions are from the Midwest, with most from around the country, and 10-15 international, Maynard said Thursday.
That response is partly due to Quad City Arts’ long reputation in promoting and coordinating placement of public art, he said.
“Especially over the past few years. We’ve taken a lot of care into how we work with artists and also how we took the feedback from the last mural and incorporated that into the call in this mural,” he said. “Artists that applied for that last mural reached out and recognized those changes. It’s building that reputation of wanting to care for artists that are in our community and coming into our community. It also shows the impact of what doing large scale art can do. It helps draw attention to your community and to your region.”
“We’ve got some really incredible submissions,” Maynard said.
As they have done on downtown streets around the world, Brooklyn, N.Y.-based artists Jari “WERC” Alvarez and Gera “GERALUZ” Lozano created a new $30,000 public mural last October on the west side of the Analog Pizza and Arcade building (1405 5th Ave., Moline), roughly 120 feet wide by 26 feet tall.
They were chosen by the Moline Public Art Commission from a field of over 150 artist submissions received from all over the U.S.
There was some negative reaction to the Moline mural selection, since local artists were not chosen, and Maynard said a delicate balance has to be struck in the Arts Alley process.
Quad City Arts is facilitating that but does not choose the Arts Alley muralists. There is a committee made up of a representatives from a variety of groups, including the Downtown Alliance that will.
“If the committee or the group that is gonna be looking over these, wants to make sure that we select a local muralist for one of them, or both of them, maybe a project down the road — that’s really up to them,” he said.
“Our job is mostly to really advocate and make sure that whoever they choose is an artist that we believe can complete the project,” Maynard said, noting 6-10 finalists will be picked first, and specific designs sought for Arts Alley before final selections made.
They hope to have the new murals done before the new concrete is put into Arts Alley as part of the Valley project. There will be a separate third mural to be done more on ground level, toward the river side of the building, at a later date.
They plan to choose the two main mural artists by the end of April.
The total project cost is about $100,000 – including the cost of priming and pressure washing before the artist arrives, lodging (if needed), the lift, and a contract fee for Quad City Arts (i.e. covering the staff time to facilitate).
It also includes the third, smaller, ground-level mural, and those above costs, Maynard said.
Seeking new development director
Quad City Arts also is looking to fill two key full-time jobs.
Karie Gilson, the nonprofit’s development director, will be leaving her position April 3, 2024, for a development job with Palmer College in Davenport.
“During her tenure with Quad City Arts, Karie has been dedicated to our mission of enriching the quality of life in the Quad Cities region through the arts,” Maynard wrote in an email Wednesday. “She was the visionary behind the Quad Cities Chalk Art Fest, which has brought so much color and joy to our community. Furthermore, her efforts in garnering support for the Festival of Trees, and the largest helium balloon parade in the Midwest, have contributed to the success and vitality of our region.”
“We’re definitely gonna miss Karie. We’ve all loved working with Karie, she’s done some really great things here,” he said Thursday. “She really shaped what the holiday parade looks like and really has helped keep some things going on around here so she’ll be a tough one to replace. But we’re excited for her.”
Quad City Arts has posted the job description for the position (salary range $50,000-$60,000 a year) HERE. Gilson started at Quad City Arts in 2014 as marketing and sponsorship director, and has been development director (in charge of fundraising) since January 2021.
If anyone has questions regarding this position or sponsorship information, you can contact Maynard at kmaynard@quadcityarts.com. Quad City arts also is close to hiring a new administrator for Festival of Trees, the agency’s largest fundraiser of the year.
For more information on QC Arts, click HERE.
