Making Tiles for the Main Street Mural
Over the last few months, hundreds of you have joined us in the studio, at workshops, or stopped by our table at local events to create a tile that will be installed on the Main Street Mural.
We’re super excited about this portion of the mural because the community has always been at the heart of the mural making process for us. We believe community is something we create together, and the mural is a tangible manifestation of that belief.
From students at Nichols Middle School to residents at Margarita Inn to business owners across Main Street — we’re so grateful to everyone who contributed to making this mural something unique and special.
Keep reading for a recap of the tile-making process.
Making Tiles at YEA! Fest
On May 16th, we hosted our first mural-making experience at YEA! Fest. We were blown away by the response and excitement that many of you showed as you made your tiles.
Xavier Wynn, one of our mural artists was present to offer guidance and encouragement along the way. Xavier is a sculptor and is now preparing the tiles to be installed on the wall!
Making Tiles with Students
Shortly after YEA! Fest, students from Nichols Middle School joined us in the studio to make tiles.
Working with Nichols students was extra special because the original mural was created by students from Nichols Middle.
Muralist, Oscar Joyo, joined us in the studio for this workshop, and it was a ton of fun.
A week later, we ventured over to Chute Middle School to create tiles with their students. We loved gathering in the light-filled atrium and seeing the creative designs students came up with.
And finally, students from Park School came over to the studio one afternoon to make tiles.
Making Tiles with Local Businesses
If we had to pick a favorite business on Main Street, it would be….. all of them!
We truly love being a part of this small business community, and it was a treat to host local business owners in the studio to make tiles.
Local business owners already do so much to make Main Street a vibrant, welcoming community, and we’re grateful they showed up to contribute in this way as well.
Making Tiles at Main Street Fair
Main Street Fair was buzzing with excitement this year for many reasons, but for us, the biggest was getting to host a booth in front of our then in-progress mural wall. We loved talking with all of you while you made your tiles, and we especially loved seeing your doodles on our mini mural!
Making Tiles with the Community
In June, we hosted a series of drop-in tile workshops as well as a tile-making happy hour to round out the number of tiles needed to create the mural.
In total, community members helped us make more than 500 tiles! All the tiles will be added to the north side of the mural.
Glazing Tiles with Xavier
Now that all the tiles have been created, the next step is to paint, glaze, and fire the tiles before putting them on the wall.
In mid-July, our staff joined Xavier Wynn at Chicago Clay Co-Op to see exactly how it’s done. Xavier walked us through the process step-by-step, and we even got to paint some of the tiles ourselves.
Once the tiles are finished being glazed, Xavier, Edwige, and Hope will install them on the wall. Work is expected to begin on the mosaic wall before the end of the month!
The Main Street Mural is made possible by community members like you! Your donation will help pay for permitting, paint, supplies, on-going maintenance and more.
Be a part of creating a piece of Evanston history. Donate today!