CENTURY WALK ART GETS CITY FUNDING

August 16, 2000 — Source: Naperville Sun, The (IL) — Author: Kathy Millen

The Naperville City Council has approved a $45,000 grant to help fund the creation of three works of art that will be a part of the Century Walk public art exhibit by the end of this fall.

The grant will help subsidize the creation of the mural on the south side of Sullivan's Steakhouse, a steel sculpture of Reba Steck's One Room School House to be located on Jefferson Avenue next to the Christian Science Reading Room, and the Horse Market Days sculptures to be located at Naper Settlement.

"This is our most exciting year yet," said Brand Bobosky, chairman of the Century Walk Board.

"We have three diverse projects.

We are spending the most money that we have ever spent.

The Horse Market Days sculptures, which will be located outside the Pre-emption House, is expected to cost $70,000. It will feature the life-size figures of a boy, a dog and a horse, each done by a different artist.

The schoolhouse sculpture and the mural each have price tags of about $23,000, Bobosky said.

The entire Century Walk exhibit is financed by grants from the Illinois Arts Council, the city's hotel-motel taxes, local banks and private donors.

The three artworks will bring the total number to 14 in the exhibit, a 10-year-project started in 1996 to place public artworks relating to Naperville in the downtown area.

It will include a total of 30 pieces by the time it is completed in 2006. The 11 works already in place include sculptures, mosaics and murals.

During the next five years, Century Walk is expected to expand east and north of downtown, Bobosky said.

Artworks will be located in the areas of Benton Avenue and Ellsworth Street, Fifth Avenue Station, Burlington Park, the DuPage Children's Museum and the new parking garage planned for the corner of Van Buren Avenue and Main Street.

The next work of art, yet to be determined, will be located at North Central College, north of the football stadium.

Bobosky said the board will commission the piece by the end of the year.

"I think the city is going to be very pleased with the art and I believe that we are improving," Bobosky said.

"We have outstanding quality and we're getting a big bang for our buck.

I think we are putting Naperville on the map for still another reason."
     

Section: NEWS — Page: 12