Photo by: Nora Gregor, Arts Alliance Illinois
Thank you to everyone who joined us on September 26th for the Main Street Mural Dedication Day Celebration. This mural would not have been possible without the input and support of people like you.
It was a day filled with community, joy, and creativity. Keep reading for a recap of the day’s events and a look at what’s happening next at Open Studio Project!
Celebrating Community
At Open Studio project, our mission is to bring the transformative power of art directly to individuals for personal growth, social emotional learning, and community wellbeing.
The Main Street Mural is a physical representation of this mission as hundreds of community members came together to create the mural by sharing their ideas, making tiles, donating financially, and attending one of our many community mural workshops.
On September 26th, 2026, community members joined us in the parking lot to celebrate the new mural and connect with the artists and with each other.
Muralist, Oscar Joyo, signs his name at the bottom of the Main Street Mural
The Main Street Mural creative team: Xavier Wynn, Oscar Joyo, Rob Lentz, Edwige Massart and Hope Washinushi.
Photos by: Nora Gregor, Arts Alliance Illinois
Open Studio Executive Director, Rob Lentz, began the ceremony by sharing more about the vision behind the mural:
“Bringing people together to make art has always been at the core of our mission. But the ways we do this are often quiet, even invisible: working in school settings, homeless shelters, and other sites where we have private relationships with participants. This public art project has allowed us to share our creative art process on a large scale. Hundreds of community members added their voices to our project, and we combined their individual creativity into an artistic statement about belonging, hope, and transformation. The result is a work of art that is for everybody: One for All.”
Rob’s remarks were followed by a message from Ted Harris, OSP Board President, which was read by Jenny Palsgrove, then Oscar Joyo shared more about his experience creating the mural:
“This project was a labor of love. It was a labor of many months of planning, communicating, trial and error, and getting up to this point … Working on this project, I got to be around people that I looked forward to seeing every day. They’ve taken great care of me, and as an immigrant, being in the United States for 26 years, that’s something I always wanted to look for: a family and a tribe.”
Attendees also got to hear from Evanston City Council Member, Jonathan Nieuwsma; Cook County Bureau of Economic Development Project Director, Christine Nappo; and Lauren Laws of Local Initiatives Support Corporation.
We are so grateful to have the support of so many in the Evanston community.
Rob Lentz and Oscar Joyo
Photo by: Nora Gregor, Arts Alliance Illinois
Jenny Palsgrove reads a message from Ted Harris, OSP Board President
Photo by: Nora Gregor, Arts Alliance Illinois
Mural artists and event speakers gather for a photo.
Inspiring Creativity
Throughout the event, attendees were invited to express their own creativity by making tiles out of air-dry clay and doodling on our mini-mural.
We also gave away mosaic take home kits and bags of candy to express our gratitude to everyone who came.
The creative talents of DJ Shal boosted the joy and energy of the day, and we were so grateful to our friends at Button Bakery and La Principal for donating their delicious pretzels and churros!
What’s Next at Open Studio Project
At Open Studio Project, we believe community is something we create together, and we’re excited to continue building and supporting the South Evanston community along with you!
Coming up, we’ve got several ways for you to connect with your creativity and with your community at the studio, including a new session of Art & Wellness and a Community Art Happy Hour in November.
Sign up for our email newsletter and view our Calendar of Events to stay up to date, or drop by the studio to say “hi!” and see what’s inside!
Thanks again for supporting the Main Street Mural and for being a part of our community.
The Open Studio Project team + Oscar Joyo at the mural dedication.