Waukegan Public Library is extremely excited and proud to share its original mural that has been one year in the making. After receiving a grant from the Waukegan Arts Council, the library set forth to interview artists and select a piece that would be a welcoming and joyful statement of the library's role in the community, and represent the city's diversity, pride, and support of art in all its forms. Local artist Gabriela Escovar created a wonderful story of belonging and friendship in her work A Love Letter to Waukegan. Her piece is over 30 feet long and features 8 kids and teens and a variety of books. She talks about the unique and creative book characters in her artist's statement - "Kids are running off with their backpacks full of books and dandelions in their hands, while the younger ones are running to the field ready to pick their own. The books, full of stories they’re dying to tell, jump out of backpacks and begin to take over the scene. They themselves are reflective of different genres and subjects - music, art, westerns, horror, sports, etc. They represent windows to different worlds beyond our own experiences, and hand in hand with the dandelions, also represent the playfulness of youth and the possibilities that lie ahead." As part of this project, the artist and her sister, Stephanie, hosted 3 art workshops for young people and solicited ideas for affirmations and images to include in the work. Waukegan Public Library invites you to visit our mural - take a selfie with your favorite character, make a wish, be inspired - and hopes to see more public art projects in our libraries and schools in years to come. Artist's statement, news articles, more pictures available on the library's website https://www.waukeganpl.org/wacmural-2/