A few weeks ago, we reported that the Wilmington Chamber of Commerce in Wilmington, Ill., had bought a buffalo sculpture by late folk artist Jack Barker so it could eventually install it on Route 66.
Now it appears the nearby town of Braidwood, Ill., is getting to the act. According to the Joliet Herald-News, Braidwood Mayor Bill Rulien bought eight of Barker’s art pieces.
The mayor paid for the art, in the hope that he can make them available for local businesses to buy and display at the city’s Route 66 Park and Welcome Center. The center has a picnic table and pavilion.
“We’ll see what happens,” Rulien said at a recent city council meeting. Barker “took junk and made it into art,” Rulien said.
Rulien says all but one of the art pieces have drawn a sponsor.
Barker, of Essex, Ill., died on May 16, and his family had planned to auction much of his artwork in September.