The oft-photographed mural on the north wall of the Cook County Whole Foods Coop means a lot to many people—the dozens of elementary schoolchildren involved in creating the four-season mosaic, the teachers and community volunteers involved in designing and installing the tiled mosaic and the many community members who believe that public art is important. An effort is under way to raise the funds needed to save the mural during reconstruction of the co-op building.
At the Cook County Whole Foods Co-op public meeting on August 21, a group of co-op members agreed to work to save the four season mural created by local elementary school students, teachers and volunteers. The mosaic was scheduled for removal as renovation of the co-op moved ahead, but an effort is under way to keep the mural intact during construction and to restore the artwork to the exterior of the building when work is completed. However, leader of the group raising funds to save the mural, Ann Mershon, said, “Though we’ve had an outpouring of support for saving the mural, there are some bumps.” The biggest “bump” is financial. Initial “ballpark” estimates put the cost at approximately $15,000 – $30,000 to preserve and restore the mural.
Nine community members met at the Angry Trout Café last week to discuss options for saving the mural. One decision was easy. There was consensus that if the mural can be saved, the first choice is to have it placed on the new co-op building. The group agreed that if that does not work, other options would be considered such as Sivertson Art Gallery or the new Community Center/ YMCA building.
The group recognized that there is some frustration that the effort to save the mural got under way after plans for the new building had been completed. Plans call for the demolition of the existing building at the beginning of October.
Mershon said the group hoping to save the mural understands that the co-op board has worked a long time on the new building project. “We want to be supportive of that effort and understand the stress involved, particularly for board members,” said Mershon.
However, one of the group, Jeff Kern, stressed that the value of public art should also be considered. “This is a landmark. School children from many different years contributed to this and it’s part of our community,” said Kern.
Mershon noted that the co-op board had committed approximately $10,000 to preserving the mural. The co-op board wanted to maintain the mural if it was financially feasible. At the very least, the co-op board planned to have high resolution photos of the mural taken and displayed prominently in the new building.
The exact cost of saving the mural wall is not yet known, but Kern has discussed saving the mural with an architect who volunteered his time and energy to consider the project. It would be a complicated project. Saving the mural would mean supporting the wall on both sides, cutting it into four sections, lifting the sections with a crane so that a new foundation can be built beneath them, and replacing them, again with a crane.
Kern cautions that there is no firm estimate of what that would cost but is hoping that it would be approximately $25,000. “It’s all speculation at this point,” he said, “but I would like to see some optimism around this.”
If that hopeful estimate is correct, that means, with the $10,000 set aside for the project by the co-op, an additional $15,000 to $30,000 must be raised. Mershon has agreed to oversee the fundraising through direct mailings, grant writing, and a fundraising event in October.
A concern expressed by Co-op Board Member Barb LaVigne was that the board would need a guarantee that the project would be fully funded so they would not be obligated to bear additional expense beyond what the co-op has already pledged. Mershon said community members have pledged funds and expressed confidence that the funds will be raised, but she added, “If it takes longer than expected, we need people to offer to back the project until additional funds were raised.”
Mershon reported that many people have pledged to support the effort. “So—this is where things stand,” she wrote to those who answered her call to action on the Internet bulletin board Boreal Access, “We’re all optimistic about the project… If you are able to offer financial support, please let us know.”
Anyone seeking more information about the mural restoration project or wanting to donate is encouraged to contact Mershon at amershon@boreal.org.
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