DeKalb community members are encouraged to help inspire the design for a new City  Hall mural. 

Two workshops are being held where the community will brainstorm on the themes that  should be represented in the mosaic mural, which will be created on the south exterior  wall of City Hall. Everyone is invited. The workshops will mirror one another, so  participants only need to attend one. 

The artist for the mural, Danielle Casali, who received her Master of Fine Arts degree  from Northern Illinois University and has completed public murals across northern Illinois, will lead the meetings. Those attending will work in small groups to discuss the history  and culture of DeKalb with a focus on belonging, and participants will be asked to draw  and write their ideas.  

Casali will use the recurring ideas from the brainstorming sessions to determine the main  motifs and imagery for the mural design. 

The City’s Community Enhancement Commission is overseeing the project and secured  the T-Mobile Hometown Grant which is helping fund the mural. The Commission’s Chair,  Brad Hoey, said the community’s input and involvement will be crucial to the mural’s  creation. 

“We are very fortunate to have a renowned artist with local ties in Danielle leading the  City Hall mural project,” said Hoey. “Danielle embraces community input and participation  in much of her work, and these workshops are a great opportunity for local residents to  contribute in concept and execution of this latest public art project in DeKalb.”

The brainstorming workshops will be held in the Yusunas Meeting Room on the lower  level of the DeKalb Public Library on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 10 a.m. and Wednesday, Feb.  22 at 6 p.m. No registration is required. 

These sessions are just the beginning of the community’s involvement in the mural  project. Once the design is complete, a series of workshops will be held for community  members to help create the mural by tiling the mosaic panels. More information on these  volunteering opportunities will be released as this next phase of the project approaches.