The City of Murals brings younger artists to paint the streets

By Kathryn Menue

Editor

BELVIDERE – On Saturday, June 27, Heritage Days presented a new activity for the Boone County youth to enjoy. Paint on State premiered in downtown Belvidere with tons of children participating in the artistry event.

Paint on State let youngsters paint a four-foot-square anywhere from the State Street Bridge to Lincoln Avenue from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Over 190 squares were available to let children’s creativity shine brighter than the colors of the rainbow. More were made as the day progressed and more families came to put their stamp of art on State Street of Belvidere.

Registration opened at 10 a.m. which took place on the north side of the State Street Bridge next to the Apollo Theater.

For only $5, children received a bag of paint supplies including a paint brush, a plate for mixing colors, a water cup, and red, yellow, blue, black, and white paint to use for their masterpieces.

By 11 a.m. nearly half of the squares available on State Street were filled, and volunteers were sure that they would need to paint more squares so that more participants could create a masterpiece for the Belvidere community to see.

Children and family members of all ages were allowed to participate in the artistry event.

Kentucky Fried Chicken of Belvidere provided the cups for the children to use as water cups for their painting projects.

Every child’s painting kit also came with an “inspirational” instruction sheet with instructions on how to mix colors.

JeniLoDolce and Lauren Hart of the Boone County Arts Council felt that Heritage Days would be a great opportunity to get kids more involved with art.

“Myself and Lauren Hart went to another street painting event and we were inspired to do it in Belvidere,” LoDolce said.

The inspiration paid off. Crowds of participants flocked the State Street Bridge with an enthusiasm that only art can bring to this world.

Some participants included Deanna Thunberg, Jen Diamond, and Savanna Gyllenswan who created a scenic view of the sun beating down on a tree blowing in the wind over a bridge on the water.

Other images captured flowers, and rainbows, with one rainbow painting celebrating Gay Pride and the new law that made gay marriage legal in all 50 states.

Other children painted scenes of the heart, including 10-year-old Isabella Girardin.

Some artists even painted their favorite animated characters including Monster’s Inc. characters Mike and Sully, and the minions from Despicable Me.

No matter what people painted, by the end of the day, State Street was a true masterpiece of art all thanks to the little painters of Belvidere and the Boone County Arts Council for suggesting such an innovatively creative mark for Heritage Days.