Welcome, Carbondale!
Welcome, Carbondale! is a special initiative of the Southern Illinois Mural Project, a program of Artspace 304 in collaboration with the City of Carbondale, SIUC, Artspace 304, local businesses, and private donors.
2024 Welcome, Carbondale!
Applications For Welcome, Carbondale Summer 2024 are now closed.
With the Welcome, Carbondale! Summer 2024 application period coming to a close, Artspace 304 & the City of Carbondale want to thank all of the applicants and their incredible proposals to create 2 public murals for our community. The Award winners have been selected and will be made public soon. Check back here for updates and future Welcome, Carbondale! opportunities. This special initiative of the Southern Illinois Mural Project, is a program of the Arts & Entertainment District Committee in collaboration with the City of Carbondale, Artspace 304, local businesses, and private donors.
Island Building’s North Facing Wall: 715 South University
The mural can include both stories, minus the 4 windows and 2 vertical bands of blue porcelain tile.
Dona Camila’s East Facing Wall: 100 W Jackson Street
East facing wall is up to 90 feet long. Indicate how much of the wall your mural will occupy and where on the wall it will be placed.
Spring 2024 Mural Sites
Lost Forest Coffeehouse & Pub
520 S Illinois Ave
Artist: Jacob Yandle
Wild Rabbits by Jacob Yandle – “I use the foliage and wildlife of Southern Illinois, not only to highlight our beautiful landscape but to also consider the difficult journeys that lead many of us here. The pack of rabbits rely on each other and show no fear of the predators around them. This is a subtle node to time and place. It represents the 2024 eclipse – replacing the moon with the local coneflowers that begin to bloom nearly at the same time.”
2023 Mural Sites
Notcho Fries
903 S Illinois Ave
Artist: Antonio Martinez
Shawnee Labyrinth was inspired and informed by common nocturnal animals in the region, with emphasis upon the deer and luna moth. The labyrinth composition is a reference to the existing labyrinth maze located opposite of this wall. Instead of encountering a Minotaur at the center of the labyrinth, a mystical deer, with the iconic Native American symbol for “The Great Spirit” for its eye, stands watch in the Shawnee night wilderness. Behind this Great Spirit deer is a simple galactic cluster of stars and two eclipses which reference the 2017 and 2024 eclipse.
Eurma Hayes Center
441 E Willow St
Artist: Maddie Dieters
Mural artist Maddie Dieters created the mural at the Eurma Hayes Center as a stunning portrait and homage to its founder, Eurma Hayes. Maddie Dieters (Marion, IL) has completed numerous murals in the Southern Illinois area. She creates public art in hopes of empowering people to appreciate and participate in creating art.
Wallace Building
317 E Main St
Artist: Christine DeShazo
The Woodlawn Cemetery Mural at 317 E. Main was conceived by artist Christine DeShazo, in honor of Carbondale’s history and as a tribute to influential figures of the city’s past. The mural incorporates three historical portraits: Daniel Brush, the founder of Carbondale, and General John A. Logan, who helped make Memorial Day a national holiday. The third portrait is of Calvin Scott, a
much-loved local, playing his adored bugle. Christine DeShazo of Spectrum Graphics (Murphysboro, IL) has completed numerous murals in the Southern Illinois area. Her large, intricate murals often engage a crew of talented muralists who call themselves the Wall Dogs.
Slabz Skatepark
609 S Illinois Ave
Artist: Antonio Martinez
Antonio Martinez’ vibrant Owl Mural on the Southeast corner of Slabz Skatepark at 609 S. Illinois depicts an atomic/celestial landscape. Asked about his imagery, Antonio Martinez explains: “The mural was inspired by my memory of the sky during the 2017 total solar eclipse, the legacy of the Bucky Dome, the natural environment, and the Owl. For me, the Owl symbolizes wisdom gained through hardship, with the guidance of creativity, social awareness, and intuition. Six orbs rotate around an ellipse: numerically, six is a nod to the atomic number of Carbon on the periodic table and a wink to Carbondale’s namesake. This Owl/Eclipse idea represents a rejuvenation/rebirth for Carbondale, gained through creativity and ingenuity, which Buckminster Fuller embodied in his teachings. Other important cultural influences include the spiritualist paintings of Hilma af Klint and the Azteca/Meshica philosophy of “total.”
2022 Mural Sites
SI PAWN
217 W Walnut St
Artist: Candace Lyon
Candace Lyon’s mural on SI Pawn’s west facing wall is themed “Now and Then”. The mural depicts the passage of time using the trains that would frequently travel through the area over the years, whether supplying coal, grains or traveling passengers. Candace Lyon is a Southern Illinois-based artist and has completed murals in Hanndibal, MO, Camp Verde, AZ, West Frankfort, IL and Makanda, IL.
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