You don’t have to be an artist to find beauty and inspiration in the Fox River Valley.
There is artistry everywhere you look, in the Fox River itself, in the vibrant communities along its banks, and in the majestic woodlands, verdant prairies, and fertile farm fields surrounding those communities. But sometimes when something is a part of your daily comings and goings, you stop seeing it fully.
Through our 2019 Art of the Fox program, Artist-in-Residence Joel Sheesley helped us see the river more fully with more than 75 plein aire Fox River paintings of both iconic and little-known river views in all seasons. The Conservation Foundation’s Art of the Fox program strives to connect people and communities to the beauty, diversity, and importance of the Fox River through art.
We are now turning to public art installations that celebrate this vital waterway. The goal is to create features that are accessible, celebrate diverse local voices, and connect people to place and nature. The public art focus aims to increase accessibility of the art, support community beautification efforts, and be in the heart of where communities gather.
In 2024, the public art initiative of Art of the Fox debuted in Batavia in collaboration with The Conservation Foundation’s Inclusion Council and the Batavia Public Art Initiative, a committee of Water Street Studios. Specific consideration was given to explicitly stating the intent of celebrating diverse voices in the “Call for Artists” language and carefully selecting an array of interpretations during the anonymous artist selection process. From 50 submissions, 10 local muralists were selected to bring a series of nature-inspired murals to the Jeffery D. Schielke Government Center, an historic windmill factory that stretches along the Fox River in downtown Batavia. Now a government building, the grounds are a community gathering space, a public river walk, and a wildflower sanctuary.
The 10 boarded-over window spaces along the east side of the building were revitalized with colorful and unique, yet cohesive murals facing the Batavia Riverwalk and the Fox River. A mural unveiling event was held in October to celebrate the finished murals, the artists that created them, and life in the Fox River Valley in all of its forms. But no invitation is needed – all are welcome to enjoy this public art installation at any time, in keeping with the project’s goals of inclusivity and enhancing the human/nature connection. The paved path that runs along the river is accessible to a wide range of mobility needs and is right in the bustling heart of Batavia. You can even hear insight from each artist at https://pod.cards/artofthefoxmuralseries while visiting!
We encourage you to visit soon, and watch for future public art installations in other Fox River communities over the next several years as we continue to celebrate the Art of the Fox.
We’d like to thank the generous donors who sponsored murals:
Hamill Family Foundation
W.C. ‘Buzz’ Miller
Nadler Golf
Linda Gray Sonner
Our Talented Artists:
Johnathan Belair
Clara Brubaker
Sarah Engel
Cherylyn Gnadt
Marty Gniech
Lisa Holzl
CJ Hungermann
Myra Miller
Kailey Rorer
Catherine Tilly
