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.

Spring 2025 Welcome, Carbondale! 

Applications For Welcome, Carbondale Spring 2025 are open! Deadline is April 7th!

The City of Carbondale and Artspace 304 are investing funds this Spring in Welcome, Carbondale! to create public murals. We seek visionary artists to create large-scale murals that greet visitors and embrace our residents.

Applications for the Spring 2025 Welcome, Carbondale Mural Project are soon to be available. This project invites Carbondale residents to apply for funding to create a mural on designated buildings in the City of Carbondale. Details and deadlines will soon be announced, check back here in the coming weeks for more information! 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.

• Artists must live in Illinois or be a graduate of SIU-Carbondale
• Artist teams may be from other areas as long as the team leader lives in Illinois or is a graduate of SIU-Carbondale
• Artists or artist teams must be able to demonstrate their capacity to complete large scale art projects
• Artists who receive a Welcome, Carbondale! commission will not be considered for another Welcome, Carbondale! commission in the same calendar year

Mural Sites Spring 2025

Dona Camila

East Facing Wall of Artistic Minds – 603 S. Illinois Ave, Carbondale, IL

Spring 2024 Mural Sites

520 S Illinois Ave

Artist: Brooke Yandle

Wild Rabbits by Brooke 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

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. 

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.

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.

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

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.