New Murals By Tony Fitzpatrick Unveiled In Downtown Glen Ellyn

GLEN ELLYN, IL — Downtown Glen Ellyn just got a little bit brighter. On Sept. 8, the village unveiled two new public art murals from artist Tony Fitzpatrick, a College of DuPage alumnus whose exhibition will open at Cleve Carney Museum of Art Oct. 16.

The 8-foot by 10-foot murals are located at 427 N. Main St., not far from the village's new pedway. Colorful paintings of woodpeckers and cardinals, along with pop culture images, emblazon the murals, which were painted with the help of Sam Decarlo and Danny Torres.

“I was honored to be have the opportunity to create this work for Glen Ellyn,” Fitzpatrick said in a news release.

He added, “It’s one of my core beliefs that art is best made via cultural and community efforts and this project is a perfect opportunity to show that in action.”

The unveiling of Fitzpatrick's murals is the first step in Glen Ellyn's collaboration with College of DuPage to add more public art throughout the village. COD also plans to help the village create at least two more public art installations and establish a public arts committee that will help promote community engagement with the arts.

“Tony’s works are a perfect first project to launch this public art initiative, as he grew up in
DuPage County and has many connections to COD,” Cleve Carney Museum of Art Curator
Justin Witte said in a statement.

Based in Chicago, Fitzpatrick creates multimedia collages, paintings and drawings that take inspiration from life in Chicago, along with folk art, tattoos and children's books. His work has appeared in poetry and art books, on musical albums and at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art and New York City's Museum of Modern Art.

Fitzpatrick's exhibition, entitled "Tony Fitzpatrick: Jesus of Western Avenue," will be at Cleve Carney Museum of Art Oct. 16 through Jan. 31 .