Naperville Art: Man’s Search for Knowledge

At Jefferson Avenue and Webster Street is a brick wall mural called “Man’s Search for Knowledge Through the Ages.” Since the wall spans a corner of the Nichols Library parking lot, the title is absolutely appropriate.

The mural is a bas-relief sculpture, a dimensional mural carved directly into the brick face. The images “symbolize the human quest for learning through the ages” from the biblical Tree of Knowledge through explorers in outer space.

“Man’s Search for Knowledge” is the work of Mara Smith, a nationally-known artist who works out of Seattle, Washington. Smith intended to teach jewelry-making and metal-working, but was given the opportunity to create brick murals for a hotel in Dallas which jump-started a new career. Her work is displayed internationally and she has been called “the pioneer of modern brick sculpture" by the Brick Institute of America.

Smith originally created the wall in 1987, years before the 1996 incarnation of the Century Walk Foundation, but the mural was adopted by Century Walk in 1998.

More recently, Smith’s work suffered serious damage when in July of 2016, a driver in the library parking lot accidentally accelerated into the wall, knocking out a four foot by five foot section and shoving a large portion of the rest of it off its foundation.

A Naperville resident who worked for a Broadview masonry company contacted Century Walk and offered their services. They disassembled the wall, numbering each brick as they went, and rebuilt it to stabilize the basic structure.

Century Walk then contacted Diosdado “Dodie” Mondero, the artist responsible for other pieces downtown such as “Naperville Loves a Parade” and “Pillars of the Community,” to fit the brick pieces back together and re-create the pieces that were not salvageable. Mondero worked with a special effects company to match the color and texture of the replacements to that of the original brick and mortar.

The first installation cost about $42,000 back in 1987. The 2016 bill was closer to $50,000 for restoring the mural after the accident.

“Man’s Search” is only one of several public art pieces that were “adopted” by Century Walk to join the many new installations since 1996. The first 30 pieces installed focused on the history of Naperville, but later works added to this local public art “museum” have featured other themes.

December 2, 2018 was declared “Century Walk Day” by the city of Naperville. One of the celebratory events was a fundraiser for Century Walk titled “The Bicentennial Birthday Bash,” in honor of the 200th anniversary of Illinois’ statehood. Also on that day, the 50th piece of public art was unveiled in Central Park near the bandshell. “Laughing Lincoln” was dedicated on a drizzly afternoon and afterward, art and history supporters retired to Wentz Hall. Of course, the not-for-profit also takes donations throughout the year, so if you’d like to help, just go to centurywalk.org for more information.

Naperville Art: Streaming History

The five tile panels of “Streaming History” were installed in 2017 along the foundation of the Water Street development. The artist, Debora Duran-Geiger, works out of Sante Fe, New Mexico and has been creating tile murals for over 20 years. Not only are these porcelain pieces frost-free, but they are impervious to water, which was especially useful when the river overflowed this spring.

Each panel depicts a scene recalling our city’s history. They are titled: Winter on the River, Immigration Celebration, Water Street Yesterdays, Harvest Time and Commerce Comes Alive. Accompanying plaques tell a little about each panel and the donors who commissioned them.

The Commerce Comes Alive scene features business activity from Native Americans and early traders through Rubin’s Department Store, sponsored by the Rubin family.

Sam and Anna Rubin moved to Naperville in 1920. Their first business was the Chicago Bargain Store, later called the Home Department Store. The shop was on Main Street which once was Carousel Shoes and is currently Liam Brex cabinetry.

Sam and Anna lived upstairs and their son Alfred was born there in December of 1920. He was joined by siblings Norman, Lucille and Gertrude. As adults, they formed the Rubin Family Partnership, responsible for many business and civic projects in Naperville, including the namesake Alfred Rubin Riverwalk Community Center across Eagle Street from the library.

Also in the Commerce Comes Alive mural is a tile version of a photograph of some “Bridge Sitters,” a legendary part of Naperville’s past. While certainly folks have always sat on bridges, during the 1960s and 1970s, the city was very concerned about the long-haired hippie freaks that hung out on the Washington Street bridge. While many of the teens were just mildly rebellious, there was also some serious drug trouble and downtown shoppers found the crowd intimidating. Then-Officer Pradel didn’t actually mind them congregating on the bridge, he later said, because “at least we knew where they were.”

Another in-joke depicted is the tiny portrait of Brand Bobosky with his signature bow tie. Brand’s law office used to overlook the river from the building which houses Empire Burger Bar and is now a few doors down Chicago Avenue. Brand is the guiding force behind the Century Walk art initiative.

Naperville Art: Naperville Loves a Parade

On the west side of Main Street is an alley known as Rubin’s Way where the “Parade of the Century” goes by on one side, watched by Naperville citizens on the other. Some faces in the painted crowd are familiar and some are just average folk, but they all are enjoying the parade. 

“Naperville Loves a Parade” was dedicated, appropriately enough, just after the Last Fling Labor Day Parade in 2014. 

Three artists, along with assistants, worked on this mural for four years. Adela Vystejnova, who created the “Parade of the Century” on the opposite wall as well, originally lived and studied art in the Czech Republic. Diosdado Mondero, who immigrated from the Philippines as a child, also painted the “Pillars of  the Community” mural on Main Street. Marianne Lisson Kuhn was born and raised in Naperville and worked on several Century Walk pieces including “The Way We Were” and “World’s Greatest Artist.”

 Over 300 faces appear in the crowd and many local landmarks and businesses are featured as well. To be included in the mural required a donation ranging from $600 to paint in your face and up to $5,000 to depict your business’s building. About $220,000 was raised through those donations.

There was also a contest to win a spot on the wall. Folks were asked to count how many times Greg Haldeman’s likeness appears in the crowd and Lynda Reilly submitted the winning answer. 

Current businesses such Casey’s Foods, Hotel Arista and Quigley’s Irish Pub are illustrated as well as some historic businesses like Bev Patterson’s Piano & Organ. 

Naperville’s high school mascots appear in the crowd and the old Nichols Library, Martin-Mitchell Manor from Naper Settlement and North Central’s Old Main are some of the landmarks visible in the background. 

The Lima Lima planes fly overhead and there’s even a version of Michaelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” in the clouds. You could spend a good deal of time finding all the little details and it would make a nice addition to your next downtown or Riverwalk stroll.

Naperville Art: A City in Transit

On the southwest corner of the Washington Street and Chicago Avenue intersection is a large mural called “A City in Transit.” Celebrating our city’s “evolution of travel.” it was painted in 1998 by Hector Duarte and Mariah de Forest, two prolific Chicago muralists from the Taller Mesitzarte workshop and gallery.

Folks don’t travel on the DuPage River as much as over it, so a couple of bridges are illustrated. There’s also bit of the Old Plank Road which was originally a Native American trail and now is Ogden Avenue/Route 34.

1865 wooden bridge at Washington Street with 1856 stone bridge on Main Street beyond

Because of investments in the Plank Road, Naperville first refused a railroad before  eventually agreeing. In the mural, the Chicago-to-Denver Zephyr is shown waiting at the station.

Many of the buildings sport signs to help identify them. The Pre-Emption House is one and the Naperville Creamery is another.

Walter Fredenhagen started making Frozen Gold ice cream in the 1930s. With partner Earl Prince, he launched Prince Castle ice cream shops, like the one in the mural, which became the Cock Robin ice cream chain. Fredenhagen Park is now where Naperville’s Cock Robin was located, just steps away on Washington Street.

Other signs name the myriad of garages, gas stations and motor companies that used to be downtown, although that may seem strange to us today. At one time, Jimmy’s Grill was one of several gas stations and there were five different car dealers in the middle of town. Clyde Netzley opened his garage in the 1920s and later operated a Chrysler dealership just across the street from this mural where the River Square shopping center currently is.

Painted high on the wall is the Lima Lima Flight Team whose yellow T-34s were once a common sight for flyovers during parades and other occasions. The club was organized in 1975 by some folks out at the Naper Aero Club whose FAA designator, LL-10, gives them their name. Many of the original Lima Lima pilots have retired or moved away, but the team is still active and flies in airshows across the country.

Naperville Art: Volunteers Welcome

Other cities might have a “Welcome to —” sign at the city limits with service club logos. Naperville has a mural on Washington Street at Van Buren Avenue. The title has two meanings: A welcome from the city’s clubs and a declaration that Naperville loves its volunteers.

The piece by Ernest Claycomb and Jennifer Richmond is actually two installations: the originals at ground level and enlargements at the top of the wall. The original paintings were scanned and enhanced with faux architectural elements before being printed on a vinyl banner. “Volunteers Welcome” illustrates seven service clubs with long histories in town.

Rotary
Paul P. Harris started a service club in 1905 in Chicago with rotating meeting sites. Naperville’s first Rotary club was founded in 1941, followed by Sunrise in 1991, Downtown/4:44 in 2007 and After Dark in 2017. Their Harmony Park was just installed at Rotary Hill.

Lions
Another Chicago businessman, Melvin Jones, started the club in 1917. Lion’s focus on vision care dates to a 1925 challenge from Helen Keller. Naperville’s chapter was founded in 1948 and they host the annual Turkey Trot 5K.

Exchange Club
Founded in 1911 in Detroit, their national project is the prevention of child abuse. Naperville’s group started in 1987. Exchange has hosted Ribfest since 1988, but 2019 is their last event at Knoch Park as they look for a new venue.

Jaycees
“JC” stands for the Junior Chamber of Commerce launched in 1920 for young men. Women were included in 1984 and the local chapter opened in 1964. Rick Motta and the Naperville Chamber organized the Last Fling in 1966 and passed it on to the Jaycees in 1981.

Kiwanis
Born in 1915, again in Detroit, the local club was founded in 1955. Kiwanis host an annual Pancake Festival, including a showcase of junior high bands and choirs.

Woman’s Club
Started as a literary meeting of local women in 1897, the Woman’s Club provided the first books for Nichols Library. In June, they will host their 60th annual Fine Arts Fair.

Junior Woman’s Club
Nationally, Juniors were created in 1932 to encourage service among younger women and Naperville’s chapter started in 1967. They launched Safety Town programs in 1978 with Officer Friendly George Pradel and facilitated Safety Town’s permanent home in 1996.