Big news on the public art front! Nciartworks is partnering with the City of LaSalle Foundation and the Illinois Valley Garden Club to provide the semi-permanent butterfly art installations for the community garden project spearheaded by Renee Kim.
Kim proposed the community garden idea to the city of LaSalle so that people could to grow fruit and vegetables for their own consumption and to donate to local food pantries, if they wish to. LaSalle has graciously provided plots of land along route 6 in LaSalle, between Big Boys Tires and the Fire Station on which the first 10 raised beds were installed by volunteers on Saturday, April 19th with building materials donated by Home Depot.

According to Nciartworks executive director, Julia Messina, the butterflies feature of the community garden project was inspired by the Michigan Avenue butterflies in Chicago. When she was approached by City of LaSalle Foundation founder, Dani Piland, to collaborate on the community garden project, Messina asked professional artist Emily Maze to paint the community garden prototype fabricated by Dan and Lynn Rasmussen of Design and Color Your Dreams of Manlius, Illinois. Emily works part-time as gallery assistant at Nciartworks and is a professional artist whose work can be seen at major public art murals throughout the Illinois Valley. She will be leading the butterfly design team on behalf of Nciartworks.

Businesses and families interested in sponsoring the community garden butterflies may contact Julia Messina at [email protected] or Dani Piland at [email protected] for further information.
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The April 22nd ribbon cutting was attended by Mayor Jeff Grove, Project Lead Renee Kim, Illinois Valley Garden Club President Valerie Lannon, City of LaSalle Foundation Founder Dani Piland and Nciartworks Executive Director Julia Mautino Messina as well as representatives of local government and members of the public.