​for more information about these works of art, dial 815.214.2123 and follow the prompts. For example,  enter STOP #202 to hear about “Mendota Gold.” 
North Central Illinois (NCI) ARTworks developed the Silo Pathways Countryside Public Art Tour Project to create and facilitate a regional installation of curated works of public art as a distinctive tourist attraction  and as an artistic pathway to connect communities and our scenic countryside.  NCIARTworks collaborates with  municipalities, tourism councils/offices, and other organizations to develop the  outdoor art gallery pathway to draw visitors and commerce the communities surrounding  Starved Rock State Park. 
​o Mendota – 801 Monroe Street (south side of Triple Service, Inc.) – The “Mendota Union Depot,” the city’s second  public art installation, will be a full-color mural of the Union Train Depot that was built in 1888. The half-scale mural will be 127x50-foot with a painting of a period locomotive  at the platform in front of the station. When night falls, translucent window panes will create the illusion of interior  lighting. 
o Seneca – 311 North Main Street – The “Find Your Connection" mural will commemorate historic contributions that Seneca for the  community and country. The 80x32-foot mural depicts: The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railroad Depot; the Illinois &  Michigan Canal; the Seneca Shipyard; the Hogan Grain Elevator; and downtown Seneca. The centerpiece will be the  Landing Ship Tank (LST) that was manufactured in the Seneca Shipyard. The existing vintage Schlitz beer sign also will  be restored. The art will be visible to southbound traffic entering Seneca on Rte. 170. 

Cherry Vintage Mural by Ray PAseka

Cherry 2018 – 123 South Main Street – The third installation represents Cherry as the booming mining town it was at the beginning of the 20th Century. It showcases the miners and their families who came from around the world to make their homes here and to work in a state-of-the-art mining operation, and 
emphasizes the historical impact of the St. Paul Mining Company and the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul Railroad in the development of the Village. The 12x22-foot mural and its old-style frame are painted with sepia-tone paint to 
be reminiscent of vintage billboards. 
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"Mendota Gold" Mural by Ray Paseka

Mendota 2018 – 1000 Sixth Avenue — “Mendota Gold” is a 68x20-foot ear of corn anchored  to the southernmost silo at the Northern Partners Cooperative. The top of the corn is more than 80 feet  in the air for optimal viewing from downtown and along the Amtrak line. In March 2019, a columnist for  the New York Times Sunday Magazine wrote about the art as she traversed America on an Amtrak train, noting it is the “single best thing in the United States:  a silo in Mendota, Ill., with an 80-by-20-foot ear of corn painted on one side.” To hear all about it, call 815.214.2123 and follow the prompts. For example,  enter #202 to hear about “Mendota Gold.” 

The MAry Uthoff Walkway Mosaic installation by Susan Burton in Princeton

Princeton 2019 – South Main Street  “Prairie Dreams” is a living room grouping of mosaic-clad furniture (sofa, table and chairs) set 
under cloth sails and string lights along The Mary Uthoff Memorial Walkway in downtown Princeton. Ottawa artist Susan Burton created 
the furniture in three months, embedding glass and imported tiles into concrete over foam bases. The suite also features 75 smaller 
mosaics that local residents created with the artists’ guidance. All the mosaics are constructed to withstand weather conditions year-round.