Murals have been popping up in different locations around downtown Rochelle recently and the latest two were hung up on Saturday, June 29.
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ROCHELLE – Murals have been popping up in different locations around downtown Rochelle recently and the latest two were hung up on Saturday, June 29.
A 12-foot mural of John Wayne was placed above the Needles Arts and Craft store and a 40-foot mural depicting a nature scene was installed on the side of Bill’s Trading Post. Both murals were painted by Cecilia Schmitt, a college student at Kishwaukee College
The murals adorning several downtown buildings range from Hollywood icons Marilyn Monroe and John Wayne to a detailed nature scene of a deer and a magnolia tree. The life-like scenes vary in size and could not have been completed without the generosity of community members coming together to donate their time and resources.
“Fran Volz kindly donated the studio space for Cecilia Schmitt to work out of, Frank Smardo permitted the use of the exterior wall of his store Bill’s Trading Post to hang the mural and Bill Schermerhorn volunteered hours of his time and his crew’s time to install the mural on a 94-degree day,” explained Raegan Carmichael, volunteer and member of the brand leadership team.