“Naperville Loves a Parade,” one of Naperville Century Walk’s signature public art locations, came under fire recently when Downers Grove resident Tyler Marcus proclaimed that the mural displayed “a disappointing lack of diversity.” He started a Change.org petition to “revamp the mural, this time choosing to include people of all races and ethnicities” and has gathered close to more than 47,000 signatures to date (June 29, 2020), largely from non-residents of Naperville.
But what Marcus didn’t say was that the 132′ mural, located in an alley on the west side of Main Street between Jackson and Jefferson, does include a number of people of color and that number would more closely align with the demographics of 2010 when the project began. Brand Bobosky, Century Walk Corporation’s founder and president, made sure of that. In an effort to uphold its mission of creating “culturally significant and diverse public art throughout Naperville in the 21st Century,” the Board worked to attract people of various backgrounds for representation on the wall. Asians, Native Americans, Latinx, Hispanics, and African Americans as well as other nationalities are all part of the mural that depicts individuals, families, business owners, and leaders watching one of the City’s beloved parades, “The Parade of the Century,” across the alley.
An additional step was also taken to ensure inclusivity. The Parade mural was initially created as a self-funded project. Those wishing to be represented on the wall were asked to donate funds ($600 for a headshot, $1,000 for full body, and $3,000 for families, businesses, or groups). Realizing the expense would be a stumbling block for some, a lottery was started at $25 to give everybody a chance to participate.
“Artistic license” was employed so that many nonprofits, people, businesses, schools, etc. that are represented, paid nothing for being depicted as part of the community.
The question remains: is it appropriate to “revamp” the 10-year-old mural to reflect the population of today, thus turning what Marcus called “The Wall of Exclusion” into “The Wall of Amended History?” Three days after Marcus launched his petition, State Representative Grant Wehrli invited him to meet and work out an equitable solution with Century Walk. They agreed to create a new mural that reflects the city’s diverse population.
Since talks first began, a steering committee that includes Marcus along with members of various other cultural, racial, ethnic and gender groups, was formed to guide the project. To cover expenses, community leader Sun Kwok established a Naperville “Diversity” Artwork GoFundMe page (Go Fund Me https://www.gofundme.com/f/naperville-quotdiversityquot-artwork) that has raised close to $9,532 at press time (June 29, 2020). We can all look forward to new public art that will embody the City’s rich texture, embrace our differences, and radiate a message of unity.
For more about Century Walk, visit www.centurywalk.org.
