The community is invited to help select the design for large-scale murals to cover two walls in the Rock Island Arts Alley pedestrian gateway. It connects the Mississippi Riverfront to downtown Rock Island.
The work of the 10 finalists – chosen from among 130 artists – will be displayed. The event will run from 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, May 8, at Rozz-Tox, 2108 3rd Ave., Rock Island. Attendees there will have the opportunity to “tag” their favorite designs, a join news release from the Rock Island Downtown Alliance, Quad City Arts and the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce said.
Dennis Hockaday of neighboring downtown business, Ragged Records & Music, will spin records. Food and drinks will be available for purchase from the cafe.
Arts Alley is located in the 1700 block of Second Avenue. It is among public spaces in the transformative $8.7 million Rebuild Downtown Rock Island project. Combined, the two murals will span 4,000 square feet of wall space. Together they’ll make one the largest public art projects in Rock Island’s history, the release said.
“This is a great opportunity for our community to help shape the future look and feel of downtown,” Jack Cullen, Rock Island Downtown Alliance executive director, said. “We’re proud to host this event at Rozz-Tox in partnership with Quad City Arts and the City of Rock Island, and we hope the community is just as excited about this level of investment in such a unique shared space.”
400 artists submitted RFPs
More than 400 artists responded in January to the initial Request for Qualifications by Quad City Arts. By March, the list was narrowed to about 130 artists based on qualifications.
The Downtown Alliance and Quad City Arts worked with Arts Alley business owners, downtown stakeholders and the city’s Arts & Beautification Commission. They reached consensus around the 10 finalists. The finalists then submitted proposals for the walls.
“The selection process for the Arts Alley murals was exceptionally challenging for the Rock Island Arts and Beautification Commission and the Rock Island Downtown Alliance due to the outstanding caliber of the artist submissions,” Quad City Arts Executive Director Kevin Maynard said in the release. “These artists have extensive experience, having created murals nationally and internationally. Public art should reflect the community that it is in, and to do that we need our community to come out and be involved in this process.”
Input gathered at the upcoming event will aid the final selection process. Data will be reviewed at a special Arts & Beautification Commission meeting. It’s at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, May 9, at Rock Island City Hall. The final two artists or artist teams will be notified on Friday, May 10.
Other improvements are planned to Arts Alley this spring and summer. They include a decorative walkway, lighting and signage; space for social gatherings and performances; space for seasonal pop-up shop programs; and additional art installations.
The total budget for the improvements to Arts Alley is just over $534,000. Half of the project is being funded by a $267,000 State of Illinois Tourism Attractions grant. The City of Rock Island is primarily funding the remaining costs. It will use Downtown Tax Increment Financing (TIF) District funds and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds.
