Concert center's mural will come with guarantee

May 19, 2004 — Source: Naperville Sun, The (IL) — Author: Colt Foutz

Naperville's new Community Concert Center mural will come with a guarantee, thanks to the City Council.

If the mural peels or flakes in the next three years, Colorado artist Barton Gunderson will return and repaint the 30-foot-by-75-foot metal doors.

But the work should last at least 10 years, Gunderson assured the council Tuesday night.

Gunderson has 20 years of experience painting murals on varied surfaces, including metal, stone and wood. He told the council he plans to use a primer that adheres to metal as the substrate for his acrylic paint design.

"It's made to work outside," Gunderson said, "and it's made to withstand (ultraviolet rays) and wind and things like that."

The council cleared the way for the $78,000 project to proceed, voting 7-1 to approve an agreement with Century Walk, the mural's benefactor. Doug Krause voted against. Sam Macrane was absent.

Krause was concerned vandals would target the artwork, planned for Central Park.

"It is as dark as can be there and I am concerned if we don't put proper lighting there ... it is going to get tagged," Krause said.

Councilman David Fiore shared those concerns, but asked city employees to include the area in its study of security issues at the Van Buren parking deck. Perhaps a lighting solution could be brokered with the Naperville Park District, he said.

Krause also had hoped the council would wait to approve the project until after giving the Community Cultural Exchange a chance to show movies in the park. The arts organization had planned to paint the doors white and project films on the doors.

But the council has left that possibility open, inviting other agencies, including the Park District, to purchase a mobile screen for the project.

"I don't think these things are necessarily you have to pick one or the other," Councilman Jim Boyajian said.

Century Walk President Brand Bobosky said Gunderson has also agreed to accept partial payment this year if the organization cannot raise enough funds. The city already contributed $60,000 to the project earlier this year in its round of annual grants.
     

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