Diaz Sign Art of Pontiac, Ill., offered to have a group of artists paint murals on the sides of buildings in the Route 66 town, reported the Bloomington Pantagraph.
The presentation was to inform them about the Walldogs, a group of artists invited and paid by a community to paint murals on various buildings.
Several city officials said that they were interested in having the Walldogs come to Pontiac, especially if they tie a good number of murals in with Route 66. […]
Bill Diaz said that he has been involved with several Walldog events, including those in Atlanta and Belvidere, and the communities became more attractive to tourists.
“This really acts like an immediate shot in the arm,” Diaz said about the attention the murals attract. “This could also encourage tourists who go to the Route 66 Hall of Fame Museum to walk downtown and see these murals.”
Diaz said several murals could be done for a few thousand dollars, plus equipment loaned by the city. The earliest the group could do a “mural festival” is 2009.
To see the Diazes’ mural work, check this page, which includes some work in the Route 66 town of Atlanta, Ill. More can be seen here during the LetterRip event in Atlanta in 2003.
There is a nice mural of Pontiac’s history on the back of the Downtowner Motel which has been closed since the death of the owner. Let’s hope someone buys it and continues its use as a motel.
The motel is located between the square and the river.