ROCHELLE —  The City of Rochelle recently circulated a request for proposals from area artists for future art installations in public spaces in the community.

The RFP came as a result of the city commissioning a mural on the back of the Hub City Furniture building which now overlooks the city’s parking lots east of Lincoln Highway. That mural was painted by Mat and Mandey Steder and was the city’s first. The city has since contemplated the idea of adding more art throughout the community.

The RFP left the potential location for artworks up to artists, allowing city-owned or private property. The city received one submission from the RFP before its deadline and two proposals after the deadline.

For the addition of future artworks in the city, a committee has been established including City Manager Jeff Fiegenschuh, City Community Development Director Michelle Pease and representatives from local businesses and organizations. 

The city has an interview planned in July with the artist that submitted their proposal by the deadline, Pease said. 

“He's an artist from Chicago that does murals all over in small communities, so we're excited to see where that goes,” Pease said. “That proposal was just different visions of what Rochelle is. It'd maybe be a skydiver, a Hub or a train. His proposal was almost like a postcard. He said he'd be open to anything. I'm always of the mind to keep it neutral so it's something everyone can enjoy.”

The budget for this year’s art installation is about $10,000, Fiegenschuh said. A future mural or art installation will likely be smaller than the Steders’ mural and if the budget allows, there may be more than one mural or installation. 

Pease said the timeline and budget for the project will be discussed with the artist at the July meeting. She hopes to have the art installation done by Oct. 1. 

Potential locations for a mural include the side of Midwestern Clothing Company on 4th Avenue where the city has potential plans for an urban park next door. The city has also discussed the wall on the corner of Lincoln Avenue and Lincoln Highway where it plans to demolish the former bank drive up property and construct a parking lot.

“We’ve also thought about something on the 7th Street curve where our planting area is on the northside that we could put something there that would have a mural that people could stop and take pictures in front of,” Pease said. “We're open to anywhere. If there are business owners that are interested, please call us. The VFW is interested in potentially doing a patriotic mural on its building. We're open to anything.”

Pease called the recent mural east of Lincoln Highway painted by the Steders “a feather in the city’s cap.” Since it was finished, it’s acted as a backdrop for events in the area and high schoolers attending Prom have taken pictures in front of it. 

The city parking lot the mural overlooks will soon be the site of other improvements including running electrical lines underground, reconstructing the parking lot, and the addition of a public restrooms, storage and stage structure.

“That mural spruced the whole area up,” Fiegenschuh said. “As our downtown improvement project moves forward, that mural is only going to add to the experience down there. I'm glad we did it, and I think it's another reason the mayor and council have been supportive of doing more murals. It was such a positive project and totally exceeded my expectations. Mat and Mandey are very talented. It was our first mural and the amount of positive comments and their artistic ability and commitment to the community made it a great focal point. When we get all that work done down there and the power lines removed and we can have a structure for events down there, it will be even more of a focal point for the community.”

Pease said that the addition of murals has become more common in towns around the area lately. Fiegenschuh said they bring positivity to the community and he’d like to see more of them.

“Public art is a very good thing,” Fiegenschuh said. “It brings people together. I find it to be aesthetically pleasing and it makes me feel good. It brings people to the community to take pictures and see. It adds aesthetic beauty to your community and shows that we take pride in our town. It would be great to have more of them.”